This is My Life
by MythicCreatures
Summary: Bella and Alice live in Portland and are out of college, doing what they do best. What happens when Edward and Jasper come into their life? Read to find out. Jacob and the gang play small roles. Everyone is human.
1. Chapter 1

_**I do not own these characters. Ms. Meyer does. I know this story is rated T, but I wanted everyone to know there is a scene that is in a bar.**_

"Is that everything for you, Bella?"

"Yeah Jacob. Thanks," I answered as he handed me my change.

I stepped away from the cash register and waited for my vanilla latte to be made. Once it was ready, I grabbed it, found a table and pulled my notebook, my notes and a pen out of my messenger bag. Though I had a laptop, I didn't trust myself using it when I was drinking anything, especially a hot espresso drink. I was often clumsy and didn't want to ruin my computer.

Though it took me a while to get started, I finally was able to get my brain going and write. I was a freelance journalist with The Oregonian. Though it wasn't a permanent, full time job, it paid the bills, for the most part. I also worked part time at a locally owned bookstore called Powell's. I was currently writing an article about pollution within the Portland city limits—including litter, lack of recycling and the amount of oil within the Willamette River.

It was a hard article to write. It had to be between 2,500 and 3,000 words, (roughly five pages.) Though I found the topic intriguing, it was hard to get enough current information to write my article. It was due in two days and I was nervous that I wouldn't get it done in time. It was hard to get all the information into the article, make it interesting and not go over my word limit.

"Do you want me to get you another latte?" I heard Jacob ask. "It'd be on the house, today. Looks like you are working hard."

I looked up and saw the tall barista. I smiled. "That would be wonderful. I could use the extra boost." Jacob left my table and went behind the counter to make my second drink. When he brought it out, "Thank you, Jacob." I got back to work. I was surprised by the amount of writing I got done. Once I started, I couldn't stop. When I went home to type up what I had, I think I would have what I needed, maybe a little more. If more, that is what editing is for.

After I started putting all of my things back in my bag, my cell phone started to vibrate. I checked the color ID and smiled. "Hey Alice."

"You still at the coffee shop?" my best friend and roommate asked.

"Yeah. I'm just heading out though. I think I have what I need for this article. I was on a role, Alice!"

"I would hope so. You called me three hours ago saying you were going to work there. You up for going out tonight?"  
Thinking about it, I decided why not. "Sure, but I would like to get some of my article typed up before heading out though. So, I don't know when I would be done."

Alice laughed. "Always working Bella. Okay. What time is it? Four? All right. So here is what will happen. I will be ready to go by six thirty. I want you typed and showered by then. Or else. I'll barge into your office and make you shower."  
The image of little, tiny Alice, who made my 5 foot 4 inch frame look huge, making me shower was hysterical. "All right. 6:30, showered and everything I can do on my article done. Gottcha"

I finished putting my things away, said goodbye to Jacob and walked over to my truck. It was huge. It was red. It was loud. It was old. But, I loved it. I call it "The Beast," because it is so ugly, but I love it. I climbed into the cab and drove home. I lived in a three-bedroom apartment with Alice. It was nice. Alice and I each had a bedroom and the third room we used as an office. I had my area, with all of my notebooks, a printer, any and everything I might need for my journalism job. Alice had her interior design area. Paint swatches, fabric squares, and different types of carpet. You name it and Alice had it organized in an almost military fashion on a bookshelf in her half of the office.

Once at the apartment building, I pulled into my parking spot and half ran up the stairs going towards my apartment. I wanted to get into the office so I could spend as much time as I could with my computer. As well as I knew Alice's he would be ready to drag me out of the office at six. If I was able to get my article typed, spell checked and reread once tonight, it would save me so much more time tomorrow. Even just getting it typed and spell checked would put me ahead of where I wanted to be. I thought I would still be composing parts of the article tomorrow.

Once I started working all the details of the article, I lost track of time. I heard a knock on the office door. "You got a half an hour until I take over your body, Bella. If you want a long shower, you should start going into the bathroom now." I smiled. I got more than I thought possibly. Not only was I able to type it up, I was able to go over it twice. Now, all I needed was to send it to the editor, who would enjoy the fact I was getting an article edited with almost 48 hours before it was due.

I hopped into the shower and scrubbed my body. Though all I really did today was do some light housework and write, my muscles were tight. The hot water running over them helped me relax. I needed to be relaxed in order to spend the night out with Alice. I love Alice but she has ten times more energy than I ever could. Finally, I got out of the shower, dried off and walked to my room, wrapped in my towel. On my bed, Alice had placed the outfit I was too wear tonight.

Years ago, I had made a deal with Alice. She could replace my wardrobe, buy me clothes, but I would never, ever forgive her or wear anything that revealed too much skin. Luckily, she listened to me. I slowly pulled on the tight shirt, no bra, my panties and a skirt. The skirt was a little shorter than I would have liked, but it wasn't a mini skirt, so I told Alice that I would wear it. I slipped on the ballet flats she set next to my bed. Once dressed, I walked out to the living room so Alice could work her magic on my hair and face. Like with the clothes, I finally stopped arguing. She finally has let me to minimal make-up and hair to work, but if we went out, she got to do it.

By 7:15, Alice and I were walking out the door. We decided to just go to a club within a couple blocks of our apartment complex. It was easier then one of us choosing not to drink. Alice walked up to the bar and ordered us some drinks, as I grabbed a table. I was debating if I wanted to eat bar food. I didn't eat dinner and wasn't too excited about drinking on an empty stomach, but bar food was generally so greasy.

Alice chooses for me. "I decided to order us some nachos and a grilled cheese sandwich. I haven't one of those in a while. We're splitting. Here's your gin and tonic. You need to start getting a cooler drink."

"I like gin and tonics. If we go to Mexican, I have margaritas. But, I am not going to have one every time we go to a bar," I responded. "What did you do today? Save anybody from a fashion disaster?"

"Don't I always?" Alice smirked. "There was a guy who just moved to Portland, very cute by the way, but not quite my taste, who needed some help. He just brought down his clothes. He has been sleeping on the floor, in a sleeping bag. He wants me to help him buy furniture, carpets, art work, paint, you name it, and I will be helping choose it."

"Alice! That's huge! That is a huge job! Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"I wasn't sure you'd be excited about it."  
"Not excited! This is your biggest job ever! Okay, you need to be drinking something beside that beer. We are celebrating your break through," I explained. "This guy has to be rich if he is wanting completely everything."

We talked about what kinds of styles he wanted and what Alice was trying to shoot for with this job. With this job in her profile, more and more people would be coming to her. It wasn't just a room she was redecorating. It was an entire house. So she would be able to have a flow of style throughout one house, but also, every room was going to be photographed and put in to her folder that she shows to perspective clients.

"I'm going to go dance. You okay here?" Alice asked. I nodded.

Alice knows that I cannot dance without hurting myself. If anyone was near me, I would step on toes, hit them, knock them over, something. I was content to go on sipping my drink and watching Alice hit on all the guys. "Why are you over here all by yourself?" a velvety voice asked.

I looked up and standing next to me was the most gorgeous guy I have ever seen. His eyes were emerald green, his bronze hair was messy, but in a sexy way, and though dressed in just jeans and a casual button up shirt, he looked hot. "My friend is dancing and I am not on the dance floor hurting people," I smiled up at him.

"Would you mind if I sat with you?" he asked politely.

"Of course. I'm Bella, by the way," I introduced myself.

"Edward," he replied, holding his hand out for me to shake.

It was amazing. We were able to talk about everything. The music the club was playing, the last Blazer's game and the books on the bestseller list. It was amazing to be able to talk to someone about all the things I was interested in. Though I wasn't fully interested in basketball, I followed the Trail Blazers because they were based in Portland. After Edward and I were talking for almost an hour, I remembered Alice. My eyes looked around the club and saw her sitting at another table, talking with a guy. He was tall, blond and very cute. He looked like he lifted weights regularly.

"Who are you looking at?" Edward asked, glancing at where I was looking. "Oh, that's my room mate, Jasper. I wonder who that girl is. I don't think Jasper has ever met her before."

"He hasn't. That's Alice, my room mate," I responded. Edward smiled. "I should probably get going. I have an article I need to get edited.'

Edward gave me a small pout. We both stood up and over to the table our roommates were at. Alice and Jasper looked up at us, smiling. "I'm going to head home, are you ready or are you going to stay a little longer?" I asked.

Alice looked at me, at Jasper then back to me. "I want to stay a little longer. Are you okay with walking back by yourself?"

"Yeah. Are you?" Alice nodded. "Okay, see you later tonight or tomorrow." I turned to Edward; "It was nice talking to you tonight, Edward."

"I'll walk you out." We walked to the door and Edward opened to me. "I was wondering if I could get your number."

"Give me your cell phone," I commanded. Once he handed it over, I programmed my number into it and handed him my phone.

After giving me my phone back, Edward asked, "Would you mind if I walked you home? I would be worried about you if I didn't walk you back myself."

"All right," I answered blushing. "But it is only a couple blocks away."

We walked together, in comfortable silence all the way to my apartment building. Once outside the front door of the building, we stopped. Edward turned towards me, "Can I call you tomorrow?" I nodded. He brought one of his hands up, brushed his fingers down my cheek. "Good night, Bella."

"Night, Edward," I said quietly then turned and went up to my apartment.

_**Like it? Let me know!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**The characters are not mine. THis is not as long as I wanted, but I promise, I will have more the next time I update. I have the weekend to write!**_

The next morning, Ben, the guy who edits my articles, had e-mailed my article with his edits on it. Ben was a great editor. He let me keep my voice in my articles, but made sure they sounded professional. I spent a great deal of time going over the edits, then making the corrections, then rereading the article. I checked my word count and smiled. 2,750. Not too short, but not pushing my limits either. I sent the corrected version of my article to my supervisor. Hopefully, he would send me another article topic. Generally the articles I wrote appeared in the Sunday edition of the newspaper, so my articles were suppose to be submitted by Saturday at 5 pm.

I was about to get into the shower, when my phone started ringing. I glanced at the caller ID and groaned. It was my supervisor. He was not someone I wanted to talk to, ever. "Hello?"

"Bella, it's Mike. I just got your article. Don't you know it's over a day early? It's Friday morning."

"Yes, Mike. I know that I am done early. Since, I had it written and edited, so why not get it in?" I responded. Talking with Mike was always the last thing I wanted to do. He constantly asked me out. I never wanted to date someone I worked with, especially a supervisor. It just seems that it would complicate matters at work. Plus, Mike as just too much. He wasn't my type of guy to begin with.

"I'll look over your article. There is another one coming up that I think you'd like to do. Would you like me to send you the details?" Mike asked.

"Yes. Would you like this article by next Saturday?"

"No, I'm going to give you two weeks for this. You'll need to do more legwork than normal. Well, I got to go. I'll e-mail you that information and the contact list in the next couple of hours. Hope to talk to you soon," Mike said before hanging up.

I was confused what sort of article I would be doing. I just shrugged it off. Before something else happened, I went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. It felt good to get clean. Though I enjoyed myself last night, I still had the scent of cigarettes on my skin. It was hard to deal with. Once out of the shower and dressed, I grabbed my coat and purse and walked out of the door. The shower I took to get rid of a smell on my body. A walk would get rid of wanting to find Mike and strangle him. I walked ten blocks to my favorite coffee shop.

It was a nice coffee shop to hang out in. Every time I walked in, I was always greeted with a huge smile. Jacob and his friends were always so friendly to Alice and I. It as one of the reasons we always bypassed the Starbucks that was closer to our apartment just to come to Muddy Waters.

"You again?" Quil asked. "Jacob said you were in here for _hours_ yesterday."

Quil always seemed to act like a goofy brother. "What can I say, Quil? Jacob has nothing on you. Since you weren't here yesterday, I had to hope for the best today."

"You want your usual?"

"Of course."

After I paid, Quil said "I'll bring it out to you when I have it done."

I went and sat at my favorite table. It was next to the window, so I was able to look outside and people watch. This table also had the most comfortable chairs. As I pulled a book out of my purse, Quil came over with my latte and my phone rang. THE caller ID flashed Edward. I gulped. I don't think I was ready to talk to him yet. "Hello?" I asked hesitantly.

"Don't sound so excited," Edward said. "I was going to wait and give you more time before I called, but I just had to hear your voice." I blushed profusely. "I was wondering if you'd have coffee with me. I don't have to work today, so I am open all day."  
"Well, I am having coffee right now, but you're welcome to come and join me."

"I would love that. Where are you?"

"Muddy Waters. It's on 15th and Broadway."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

I couldn't wait until Edward was here. I was nervous about seeing him again, but I really wanted to as well. It was strange how much I was feeling over a guy I just met last night. I never acted like this.

While I waited for Edward to show up, I sipped on my latte and pretended to read my book. I couldn't concentrate on the words that were written before me. I couldn't believe I wasn't getting into Pride and Prejudice. It was one of my all time favorite books and I couldn't read it. I groaned. I didn't know what to do when I realized that I had gulped down the latte Quil had made me.

After shoving my book back into my purse, I grabbed the cup I was using and took it back to the counter. Quil just laughed at me and made me another latte. This time, I stayed at the counter and talked with him while he made my drink. He was easy to talk to. I wanted to be filled in on how his friends were doing. Jacob, Quil and Embry owned and ran Muddy Waters. Their other friends worked at a local bar and were in the process of buying their own. Quil quickly filled me in on them. Alice and I generally go to their bar when we go out. Last night was an exception.

It was amazing how much these guys have accomplished. They were all younger than 25. I felt remotely jealous of them. I felt like my life didn't have a lot of purpose. Someday I wanted to publish a book, but so far I didn't have time for it. It seemed like I was either working at Powell's or writing an article for the newspaper. That gave me very little time for my social life, or lack there of.

Quil handed me my latte, then asked someone behind me, "What can I get you today?"

I turned around to head back to my table when I realized that it was Edward who was about to order his drink. He smiled at me, and then looked at Quil, saying, "I'll have a medium mocha please."

"Sure thing. That'll be 3.50." Edward gave Quil a five then held his hand out for his change. "I'll bring it out to you. Bella, you and Alice will have to stop by the bar tonight or tomorrow. Sam managed to book a cool band. I think you two will like it."

"I'll talk to Alice about it. Talk to you later, OK?"

"Sure. Call me about if you want to come. I'll have Lee keep an eye out for you if can come." Quil smiled at me again as he started making Edward's mocha.

Edward and I walked over to my table and sat down. "Lee?" he asked softly.

I laughed. "Alice and I have gotten pretty close to the three guys who own this coffee shop. Their friends work at a bar. The bouncer at the bar is named Lee," I responded.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Edward asked, his eyes pleading with me.

"No. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you were dating anybody?"

I gave me a confused look. "No, why?"

"Just wondering." Quil came over with Edward's drink. "Thanks." Once Quil started walking away, Edward took one of my hands in his and asked, "Do you mind if we get to know each other a little better?" I shook my head. "What do you do?  
It was odd. We had a wonderful conversation about music, movies, television shows, politics, and different religions last night, but didn't talk about something as simple as what we did for a living. I laughed a little. "I generally write an article or two for The Oregonian every week. My articles are generally fairly large, so I get a bit of money from them, but not enough to cover the bills. So, I also work about 30 hours a week at the main Powell's store."

"What kinds of articles do you write?"  
"Whatever they tell me. I do a lot of research; call lots of people and triple check my facts. The article I will have on Sunday is about pollution in Portland. I am still not sure what I am doing next though. What do you do?"

Edward took a sip of his drink, as if he needed to think of how to answer the question. "I am a police officer. I generally work Sunday to Thursday."

"What kind of police work do you do?" I asked.

"I work in the K-9 unit, but my dog and I mainly just look for bodies, living and dead. So, kidnap victims, runaways, and corpses. I like my job, but there are long days and I do get called in on my days off more than I like too. If Achoo and I work too much, it is harder for her to pick up a scent," Edward said, then he paused and blushed slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on."

"It's okay. Couple more quick questions. Is Achoo your personal dog that does police work and Achoo? What is up with that name?"

"Yes, Achoo is my dog. She sneezes when she latches onto a scent, so I decided why not." I laughed at the thought of that, but it seemed like a for sure sign that you needed to follow her.

We sat around talking for a couple of hours. It was amazing how much Edward and I learned about each other in that time. I learned that he was single, had only been living in Portland for a year and a half, he missed his parents, but didn't miss Chicago's winters and wanted to know where all the cool places were to hang out. We finally decided that it was time we went our separate ways. Though, when Edward realized I had walked to the coffee shop, he walked me back to my apartment, the perfect gentlemen.

I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator, wanting to take the time to think about Edward. I pulled my key out of my purse and started to unlock the door, when it swung open. Alice was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, glaring at me. "Where _have_ you been?" she demanded.

"I went to Muddy Waters," I responded, sneaking past her so I could get inside the apartment.

"I heard you leave around nine. It's now one. You were at Muddy Waters for four hours? You told me last night that you just had to get your article edited. Did you have to rewrite the whole thing?" Alice sat down on the couch, staring at me.

Alice was a funny person. So small, yet so demanding. "My article is finished and already sent in. I went to go have coffee…and then Edward called and ended up meeting me there. We talked for the last three and a half hours."

Alice squealed. "That is awesome! Did he see your truck? Was he repulsed?"  
I laughed at her question. My truck was ancient…at least forty years old with a spotty pain job and a loud engine. I loved it. Alice hated it. "I walked there. Then he walked me home again."

"That is SO romantic." I just rolled my eyes at her.

"Quil says that there is an awesome band playing at the bar tonight and tomorrow night. He says we need to go and check it out. If we want, he says we should let him know so Lee will know to let us in."

Alice thought about it for a moment. "Know what? We should totally invited Jasper and Edward to go to the bar tomorrow night. I would say tonight, but Jasper and I are having dinner."

"You guys are going on a dinner date? How come I am just now finding out about that?" I asked, throwing a pillow at her head. "That is important information."

"I would have told you earlier but someone snuck out of the house."

"Right I snuck out of the house at nine am, right out into the drizzly Portland morning. Very sneaky of me."

Alice and I sat around the living room and joked around with each other until she started getting ready for her date with Jasper. When she jumped into the shower, I went into our office to check my e-mail. Mike should have e-mailed me about my new article by now. When I opened my in box, there it was. I opened it and read it. Then read it again, and a third time, not sure if I was reading it correctly or not.

_Bella-_

_Your next assignment is to write about the prostitute situation on 82__nd__ from their prospective. Your article needs to be around 10,000 words. Yes that is longer than normal, but we are doing an entire section on it. I have included some names and numbers. We all think you would be able to get into the prostitutes heads better than anyone else. Let me know if you have any questions._

_Mike_

_PS-Would you like to have a drink with me later tonight?  
_I was going to be interviewing prostitutes. That was…new. This was a totally different assignment than I was used it. Should be interesting. I wrote Mike a short e-mail back.

_Mike-_

_Sounds interesting. I'll get on that. Still two weeks to write it, right? And no, I have plans tonight._

_Bella_

_**Please review! Let me know if you like it, hate it, what you want to see, what I can do better...whatever.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I do not own the characters!**_

Once I got home from my six-hour shift at Powell's, I started getting ready to go hang out with Jasper and Edward. I was excited. I couldn't wait to see Edward again.

What did I need to do before I was ready? I asked myself. A shower. Some clothes. Some make-up. Then I will be ready to go and Alice couldn't force twenty pounds of make-up on me or an outfit that showed too much skin. My little evil pixie of a roommate was often buying me clothes that I never really wanted to wear because of how revealing they were.

As I was going through my closet to find the _perfect_ outfit, I found I was actually glad that Alice had bought me some more formfitting clothes. I wanted to dress up for Edward, which surprised me a little. But I didn't ignore the urge to do it. I pulled out a dark blue blouse with a v-neck and a khaki skirt. The skirt was short enough that Alice wouldn't bug me about it, but long enough to suit me…for the most part. It was a couple inches above the knee.

After I got out of the shower, Alice bolted into the bathroom. "I've got to get ready! Got to get ready! Got to get ready!"

I laughed at Alice as I walked into my bedroom to put on the clothes I picked out. Within minutes, I was ready to go. My outfit looked good. My hair was behaving itself and doing what I told it to do. I had just enough make-up on to accent my eyes and lips, but it wasn't caked on. I was sure I didn't look perfect, but I at least looked ready. So I went out into the living room to wait. I pulled out a book, because I knew to give Alice sometime to get ready. After thirty minutes, I was fed up with waiting for her.

"Alice! Let's go! We told Jasper and Edward we'd meet them at The Cliffs five minutes ago. It'll take us ten to get there," I yelled into our apartment. I was standing at our front door, tapping my foot. Why did Alice always have to take forever to get ready? She always looked perfect after getting ready in five minutes. Yet she continuously took at least a half an hour. "Come on, Al! Is it really that hard to make yourself look perfect?"

I heard a door slam, then Alice appeared in the living room. "Perfection takes time, Bella. You should know that by now."

We grabbed our purses and walked out. On nice nights when we went to The Cliffs, we walked. It was only five blocks away. "Come on, Bella. Can't you walk any faster?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know that if I walk to fast I will end up with skid marks on my face."

Alice laughed at me. She linked her arm with mine. "Yeah, you are such a klutz. What am I going to do with you?"

"You are going to stay away from my feet."

We joked around as we walked. I hadn't talked to Edward since the coffee shop yesterday. Alice had called Jasper to invite both of them. On the way, Alice also gave me the full details on her conversation with Jasper. I could tell that she was really starting to like him. "What are you smiling about?" Alice asked as we started to approach the bar.

"Nothing…just thinking about how much you like Jasper."

"I don't like Jasper."

"Whatever. I thought you were the one who 'saw into the future.' At least that is what you told me last week when you told me we'd both be meeting cute guys," I grinned at Alice. "You forgot about your vision all ready?"

Alice just glared at me and pulled me the last quarter block to the bar. We walked towards Lee, the bouncer. He grinned at the two of us, opened the door and let us in. Though The Cliffs was a bar, it was also kind of like a club. There was a dance floor as well as the bar and many tables pushed against the wall if you just felt like sitting and having your drinks.

We made our way into the main part of the bar, fifteen minutes after we said we'd be there. Alice always tells me that we are arriving fashionably late. I was one of those people who always wanted to get places on time. It wasn't in me to be late to anything. I just thought it was tacky. But, Alice knew more about being fashionable than I did, so I generally stopped arguing with her after my initial complaints. We stopped at the edge of the dance floor and glanced around for Jasper and Edward. I didn't see them. I looked at Alice. The look on her face told me she didn't spot them either.

I felt something touch my waist. I turned. "Edward!"

Edward smiled. "Hey, Bella. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing pretty…"  
"Where's Jasper?" Alice demanded, cutting my sentence short. Edward raised his eyebrows at her and pointed to where Jasper had claimed a table. Alice rushed over to the table and started talking to Jasper.

"You are doing pretty," Edward told me. "You look amazing tonight." I blushed a bright red and looked down at my hands. Edward chuckled at my response and grabbed my hand and took me to the table that Jasper and Alice were sitting at.

Edward and I had just sat down when Sam came over to chat with us. "My two favorite lades."

"What would Emily think?" I asked. It was kind of scary how much I knew about all of these guys. It just proves that I spend way too much time in Muddy Waters, listening to Jacob, Embry and Quil talk about their friends.

"Emily knows I love her. What would you guys like to have?"

We ordered our drinks and then sat around talking, waiting until the band started to play. They were scheduled to start playing at eight and it was only 7:30 now. It was nice to be able to sit back and relax with people other than Alice and people I worked with at Powell's. Our drinks came and we all started sipping them, making casual small talk. Not the uncomfortable, don't know what to say, small talk. But the kind you have with friends right before all the fun of the evening starts.

Jasper told us stories of his three years in the army. Most of the stories were funny, but some were a little disturbing. He seemed to be really happy to be out of the army and all the military entails. Jasper told us he didn't like the fact he was making a living by hurting others. Because Jasper is a big guy, some would think that him being in the army would be a good thing. "Some people think that because I am tall and well built, that I like to do the hurting. It was the hardest thing I had to do, knowing that some of the actions I took while in active duty hurt people. Also, I didn't like not having a voice of my own. The army is all about telling you what to do, when to do it and not letting us have any choices. Plus, they really wanted me to do things that should never be done."

"What do you do now?" Alice asked.

"I just finished getting my masters degree in psychology. I want to work with children who need help."

"What kind of work with children?" I asked.

"Are you going all journalist on us, Bella, or do you want to know?" Alice asked, laughing. She knows that I love to ask questions. Sometimes my questions got annoying.

"I can't ask questions?" I asked.

"Alice, it's okay," Jasper said. "It's nice to be able to sit and talk with everyone. I want to work with teenagers who are in foster care. Their emotional and mental well being are often forgotten about. I want to make sure they can come to me. Also, I want to help them get into a good system when theya re eighteen so they don't have to drop out of high school."

"That's awesome, Jasper. That sounds like great work," I said. A few mintues later, I asked, "Edward, how 'bout we go dance?" I realized that four was a crowd. The band was still setting up their equipment, but there was music playing through the stereo. I knew I would start asking Jasper too many questions. Also, I knew that Alice wanted some alone time with her guy. Edward and I at the table got in the way of their…dating ritual thing. Hopefully I didn't break any of Edward's toes while we danced, if he agreed.

"I would love to," Edward responded. He stood up, offered me his hand. When we walked away from the table, I heard Alice giggle. Probably about my lack of dance skill I would soon be showing off.

I shoot her a glare, then looked up at Edward. "Just so you know, I don't dance very well. So, watch your toes."

"It's all in the leading," Edward whispered in my ear.

Edward pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around my waist. My arms snaked around his neck. He pulled me even closer. We weren't really dancing, just swaying and slowly moving in circles. It felt wonderful to be in his arms. I rested my head on his shoulder. Edward laid his cheek on the top of my head.

We kept swaying back and froth until the band was fully set up and playing. Edward looked up at the band, and then looked back at me. Jasper and Alice joined us on the dance floor. They were dancing…if you could call it dancing. They were getting personal with each other on the dance floor. It was almost funny to watch. Edward too my hand again and pulled me towards him so we could start dancing again. By the way he was starting to move, I knew he wanted to do the same kind of dancing Jasper and Alice were doing.

"I can't dance like that, Edward! I'd end up killing you or me."

"Don't worry, Bella," he told me. "I won't let you hurt anyone. Just let me do my thing, and you'll be okay."

We started dancing a little more risqué then I was used to. Well, a lot more risqué then I was used to, because I generally avoided dancing. I was surprised that Edward was willing to dance with me like that. I knew we were getting to know each other, but it was amazing that we were okay with grinding against each other. Maybe Edward wouldn't mind dating me. Well, that is a thought for later. The dancing was great. Edward's hands were all over me. It felt amazing. We danced for another hour. We were constantly touching each other while we were dancing, almost like if we weren't holding onto each other while we danced, someone would take the other away.

Edward pulled me to the side of the dance floor. "We've been dancing for a while. Do you want to sit for a little bit?" I nodded. We walked towards our table. "I'm going to get us some drinks. I'll be right back."

"All right." I sat down and my eyes went towards the dance floor. I easily found who I was looking for. Jasper and Alice were still doing their thing out there. Alice couldn't quite reach her hands around Jasper's shoulders because she is so short, so her little hands were resting on his chest. Jasper's hands were on Alice's lower back. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves as much, if not more, than Edward and I. A drink was sat down in front of me. I looked up at Edward. "Thanks."

He smiled at me as he took his seat. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Of course." Edward looked at me, with slightly sad eyes, which confused me. I thought he was having fun. I was getting a little worried that he wanted to leave. "What? What's wrong?"

"You're too far away. I want to be close to you." Edward scooted his chair closer to mine, so we were sitting right next to me. Our arms were touching each other's. I smiled. "Do you have another article to work on yet?"

"Yes," I said sulkily. "I'm not really looking forward to it. It'll be a good article to write and it should be written, but I don't really want to be the one to write it. I can't really say no, because then I wouldn't get my pay for the next two weeks. I get paid when I finish the article. The longer they give me to write it, the harder the article will be to research and write. They gave me two weeks to write this one…and I am rambling on and on. I'm sorry."

"Well, you never told me what you were writing about."

"Know what? You might know some people I could interview. I have to write about the prostitute situation up on 82nd. I'm suppose to interview the prostitutes to get their…"

"No."

"No what?" I asked.

"No you can't do that!" Edward stated.

"Edward, I know it is not the most ideal of situations, but it is my job. I need to write this article. It'll give me more money than a normal article. It is four times as long as what I normally write. Plus, it will get their story of why they are out on the street."

"Bella, it's not safe. We have some of those women locked up."  
I rolled my eyes at him. "That's what I am trying to ask you. I was wondering if there was any way I could talk to the ones locked up or for you to come met up with them when I set of interviews."

Edward stared at me, like he wasn't expecting me to ask that. He looked me straight in the eye, "Of course I would come with you. I can't promise about setting anything up in the jail though." I nodded, understanding.

"Can we change the subject now, please? I'd prefer not to think about work if I don't have it."

Jasper and Alice came over to the table and sat down in the extra seats. Jasper got drinks for the two of them. As we started talking with each other, Edward took my hand that was resting on my thigh and held it. We were sitting so close; our arms were pretty much intertwined. I leaned against him and his arm went around my waist. It felt so comfortable.

After some more dancing and a couple more drinks, I was ready to go home. I was tired. I saw that Alice was still dancing with Jasper and wouldn't want to stop for a while. I turned to Edward, "I am getting tired. I think I'm going to go home. Can I call you tomorrow?"  
"Of course," Edward replied, bringing his hand up and brushing his fingers against my cheek. "I don't think Alice is ready to go, how are you getting home?"

"Walking."

"I'll drive you. Jasper and I had to meet here because he got off of work right before he came here. I'll get your coat and bag if you want to tell Alice that you're leaving."

"Sounds like a plan."

I started walking towards the dance floor when Edward called out, "Can you tell Jasper that I am taking off?" I turned towards him and nodded.

I felt a little bad interrupting Jasper and Alice dancing, but I didn't want Alice worrying about me when she couldn't find me once she was ready to leave. "Alice, Edward is taking me home. I'm tired. Jasper, Edward wanted to let you know he was taking off."

Alice stepped away from Jasper and leaned in toward me to whisper, "Don't be surprised if I don't come home tonight. I just might get lucky."

I smiled at Alice and walked over to Edward. He helped me into my coat and handed me my purse, then we walked out into the night, hand in hand.

_**Please review if you like it and tell me why. Please review if you don't like it and tell me why. Can't improve my story if I don't know what's not working. THANK YOU!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Not my characters! Hope you guys like this chapter. Remember to review!**_

Edward and I walked slowly to his car. When we reached a silver Volvo, he opened the passenger door for me. I slipped inside as he shut my door and quickly rounded the hood of the car. Once inside, Edward started the engine and drove me back to my apartment building. I didn't want tonight to end, but I also knew I wasn't ready for what might happen if I invited Edward up into my apartment. "I'll walk you up to your apartment," Edward stated, interrupting my interior monologue.

"You don't have too. My building is safe," I responded, then mentally kicked myself. I wanted to spend more time with him, but I refuse to let him walk me inside.

"Bella, I'm a cop. I am well aware of what could happen. Just let me walk you to your door. Then you can kick me to the curb." He smiled his lopsided grin, then got out of the car.

I shook my head as I unbuckled my seatbelt. When I reached for the door handle, Edward was already opening it for me. I slid out of the seat and Edward too my hand. I pulled Edward into my apartment building and over to the elevators. It was hard to think straight, being so tired. When the elevator doors slid open, Edward and I walked inside; I pushed the button that would take us to the fifth floor. I felt Edward pull me closer to him. His hand left mine and both of his arms went around my waist. I sighed, contently. I was slowly falling in love with a man I only met a couple days ago. It felt amazing!

The elevator bell chimed and the doors opened. I slowly walked toward my apartment door, with Edward trialing behind me. It was mildly embarrassing that I had to fumble through my purse in order to find the keys I just placed in there. Why don't I ever remember to keep them out after I open the front door of the building? I finally found the keys and someone got them into the deadbolt. When my apartment door finally swung open, I looked up at Edward. He looked more tired than I was. "Do you want to come in for a couple minutes? You can crash here if you want to. Alice was pretty sure she was going back to your place with Jasper."

Edward chuckled. "Only Jasper could find someone as nice as Alice and have her in his room within a week."

Since he wasn't doing anything, just shifting his weight nervously from foot to foot by the front door, I grabbed his hand and let him to the couch. I made him sit down, since he looked like he was going to fall over. I walked over to the simple stereo Alice and I had bought and placed a Wailin' Jennys CD into it. As the music started to play, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple glasses of water. After all the dancing and drinking, Edward and I needed to get water back into our bodies.

Back in the living room, I saw Edward was stretched out on the couch, sound asleep. I sat down the water glasses and pulled the afghan off the back of the couch and pulled it over his body. Instead of going to my bedroom, I laid down on the other couch, looking across the coffee table at Edward. I just stared at him as the Wailin' Jennys started singing "Beautiful Dawn."

_Take me to the breaking of a beautiful dawn_

_Take me to the place where we come from_

_Take me to the end so I can see the start_

_There's only one way to med a broken heart_

_Take me to the place where I don't feel so small_

_Take me where I don't need to stand so tall_

_Take me to the edge so I can all apart_

_There's only one way to mend a broken heart_

_Take me where love isn't up for sale_

_Take me where our hearts are not so frail_

_Take me where the fire still owns its spark_

_There's only one way to mend a broken heart_

_Teach me how to see when I close my eyes_

_Teach me to forgive and to apologize_

_Show me how to love in the darkest dark_

_There's only one way to mend a broken heart_

_Take me where the angles are close at hand_

_Take me where the ocean meets the sky and land_

_Show me the wisdom of the evening star_

_There's only one way to mend a broken heart_

_Take me to the place where I feel no shame_

_Take me where the course doesn't need a name_

_Learning how to cry is the hardest party_

_There's only one way to mend a broken heart_

By the end of the song, I had drifted off into sleep, dreaming peacefully of love and Edward.

**EPOV**

I woke up with a start, not remembering where I was. Cautiously, I sat up and looked around the room I was in. My eyes landed on Bella. I smiled. Whenever I saw her, spoke to her, thought of her, I would smile. She was an amazing person. In between Bella and I was a coffee table, with water on it. I was thirsty. I gulped down both glasses quickly. I silently stood up and went to look for the kitchen to refill the glasses. I needed the water desperately. While in the kitchen, I looked at the clock above the stove. 5:30 in the morning. Too early to still be up. I was glad I switched shifts yesterday. It was the first time I asked anyone to switch with me, which made it seem much more important to the guy I was trying to switch with. Maybe, since I didn't have to go into work today, I could convince Bella to spend the day with me. Hopefully she didn't have to work.

Once I felt like I had enough water in my system, I had to find the bathroom. I walked quietly through the small hallway. I found Alice's room (it was very girly and had her name on the door), Bella's room (it smelled like her), what appeared to be an office (which seemed to have their two styles clashing in it), and then I finally found the bathroom. It was, of course, the last door in the hallway. Once done, I went back to Bella's room, turned the blanket down. I walked back to the living room, picked Bella up, and took her to her room.

I was just about to go back to the couch when I heard, "Edward. Stay." I quickly tuned and looked at Bella. She was asleep. Slightly disappointed, I started to walk through her door again, "no," she murmured. "Don't leave me." My good intentions flew out the window, even though I was positive she was sleep talking. I pulled off my shoes, my shirt and my jeans, but left my boxes on. I gently lifted the covers of Bella's bed and slipped in next to her. I slipped into the deepest sleep I have had in years.

**BPOV**

I slowly woke up, realizing that I was extremely warm and comfortable. I tried to roll over, but something held on to me. Confused, I turned my head. There was Edward. His arm was over my waist, securing me onto my bed. I smiled at him, and then realized that we hadn't fallen asleep on my bed. We fell asleep on different couches last night. It was too early to think. As I laid on my bed, enjoying being this close to Edward, he opened his eyes. "Morning," he whispered.

"Morning," I responded softly. "How did we get in my bed?"

"I walked and you were carried. Those couches are not extremely ideal for falling asleep on, you know," Edward told me chuckling. "You could have woken me up and kicked me out of the door."

"I could have, but would you have been able to make it home in one piece?" I asked. "You were asleep on your feet."

Edward smiled at me. "True. What time is it?"  
I turned around in his arms and looked at my alarm clock. "Eight. Seems too early to be up since we didn't get here until almost 2. But, I'm awake now."  
"Would you let me take you to breakfast?"

"How about you go home, get a change of clothes, come back and I'll be showered and have breakfast ready us?" I countered.

"That's a good idea. I smell like I was hanging out at a bar last night…who would have thought?" Edward slowly sat up on the bed. "I'll be back in a half an hour or so. Does that work for you?"

"Yeah." I got off the bed and went to check on Alice. She wasn't in her room. I went back into my room, grabbed my phone and called her. If Edward was going to his place, Alice might want a change of clothes and some make-up. She did and, of course, knew actually what she wanted. Then told me to go away and leave her alone. I laughed. "Edward? Alice is at your place and wants clothes. So if you could take these to her, she'd love it."

Edward leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. I blushed. "I'll make sure she gets them. See you soon."

As soon as Edward was out of my apartment, I ran to the bathroom. With the water on full blast and hot, I scrubbed my hair with strawberry shampoo and my body with freesia body gel. I wanted to look nice for Edward, but also wanted to make sure I had enough time to make breakfast. I decided to just brush my hair and leave it down and damp. After a quick look in my closet, I decided to go with casual. I put on a pair of black skinny jeans and a simple dark green long sleeve t-shirt. I decided to skip make-up. It was the weekend and it was too early to worry about it.

I walked to the kitchen with my feet bare. I got a glass of water out to drink as I made breakfast. My first thing to do was start a pot of coffee. I knew I needed coffee as much as I needed water. After a look in the fridge, I realized that I didn't have a lot to work with. I hope Edward wasn't allergic to anything or a vegetarian. That would put a damper on omelets with bacon, cheese and tomatoes. I shrugged and started breaking and beating the eggs. I started the bacon just as the apartment buzzer rang. It had only been twenty minutes since Edward had left. I skipped over to the front door, pushed the button. "It's open Edward. Come on up." I opened the door a crack so Edward could come it, before going back into the kitchen to turn the bacon.

Once the bacon was off the stove, I felt arms around my waist. "It smells nice," Edward stated.

"Guess you like the smell of coffee and bacon," I grinned.

"I like the smell of bacon, I love the smell of coffee, but my favorite is how your hair smells. You smell heavenly." I blushed bright red. Edward just laughed at me. "Is there anything I can do?"

"This is almost done, the omelets will only take a couple minutes to make. You can pour yourself a cup of coffee. There is sugar by the fridge and creamer in the fridge, so you can fix it up however you want."

Edward nodded and started rooting through the cabinets to find a coffee mug to use. It was cute how he opened a cabinet, stared in it and then moved on. "Why don't you guys have anything on the top shelf?"  
"I'm short and Alice is shorter than me. Neither one of us can reach the top shelf. The mugs are in this cabinet, next to the stove," I told him, pointing towards the one I was talking about. "Sorry I forgot to tell you."

Edward laughed at my response. He kissed me on the cheek as he went to reach for a mug. "It's not a problem."

Once breakfast was done cooking, Edward grabbed plates for me, whom he found on his quest for a coffee mug, I loaded them up with food. Edward carried the plates to the table, as I grabbed our coffees and silverware.

When we had finished eating, Edward insisted that he needed to do all the dishes. "It's only fair, Bella. You cooked me breakfast. So, it's my turn to do something. That something happens to be dishes. You can keep me company though."

Throughout the dishes process, Edward and I joked and laughed at each other. It was one of the best mornings I have had in a long time. I felt at ease around Edward. I was able to come out of my shell more than I thought was possible. He made me feel perfect. When Edward was finishing the last dish, my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket, "Hello?"

"Bella! How was your night, darling?"  
"It was fine Alice. I would have told you earlier, but somebody told me to go away! Edward and I are just cleaning up after breakfast."

"That sounds like fun. Of course I told you to go away. I wasn't outta bed yet. I am hanging out with Jasper today. We would hang out tomorrow too, but I got to get working on that big house I have to decorate all by myself. So, you won't see me until later tonight, possibly tomorrow."

"All right. Should I warn Edward to stay away or is it safe for him to come over?"

"Well…I suppose we could make sure he wouldn't be scarred for life if he came home."

I laughed at her remark. We hung up with each other and I told Edward what Alice had said. Edward just stared at me before he started laughing. "I had no idea girls talked like that."

"Of course we do and you should hear how Alice and I talk to each other when we know guys can't hear. You'd be embarrassed!"

"You girls are a utter mystery to me. No matter how much I am told, I am still confused about how your whole gender works," Edward stated.

"That's how we like it. It means that we don't have to work hard at acting mysterious. It's just inherent."

"Dishes are done. Follow me." Edward took my hand and pulled me towards the living room. We sat down on the couch that Edward slept in last night. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today."

"I thought you normally worked on Sundays."

"I switched shifts with someone, so I worked yesterday and got today off. I knew that I was going to hang out with you last night, and wanted to convince you to spend a whole day with me," Edward explained.

"That was sweet. Of course I'll spend today with you."

It took us awhile to decide what we wanted to do. I finally decided for us. Edward was a Chicago transplant and had never been to Saturday Market or Voodoo Doughnuts. Two places that if you live in Portland you have to go to at least once in your life. I was excited to be able to show Edward someplace he hadn't been. Getting a mental image of Edward in Voodoo Doughnuts was kind of funny.

I pulled on my shoes and Edward and I walked out to his car. It was a great car drive into downtown Portland. I told Edward we were going to Saturday Market first. He was amazed that there were so many artists in Portland who came to sell their art. "It's like a huge bazaar, without the funky name. This happens every weekend?"

"I think it starts in March and goes to Christmas Eve. The elephant ears are awesome! Plus, Saturday Market is a great place to look for gifts. I do a lot of my Christmas shopping here."

Edward pulled me down every aisle. He wanted to see every stall there was. He'd stop and stare at most of them, amazed that people created the things he was seeing. The stall that festinated him the most was the Spoonman Creations stall. The man who owns the stall takes silverware and creates random things out of them. Well, he also takes other kitchen utensils as well. He makes bug eyes, necklaces, bracelets, napkin holders among many other things. They were all amazing things. Edward bought several things in that stall for his mother.

Edward spent a lot of money. I felt bad about suggesting that he come down here with me. He insisted that he was getting all of his Christmas shopping down two months early. It was fabulous! He wouldn't have to worry about it later. I also bought a couple Christmas presents as well. Edward bought us an elephant ear to share. We sat on Skidmore Fountain to eat it before I dragged him to Voodoo Doughnuts to make him eat more sugar. I had brought my camera along and had enjoyed taking pictures of Edward being fascinated by the smallest things.

"You two make the cutest couple. Could we take a picture of you?" a little old couple asked, holding up her camera.

"Sure," Edward stated. "As long as you take a picture of us with our camera as well."

"We would love to, young man."

The couple took several pictures of us with their camera and with ours. "Why did you want our picture?" I asked them, curious.

"It is not often we see a young couple so in love. Most young people these days are just interested in getting into each other's pants. You two are meant for each other," the old man answered, handing me back my camera.

I was stunned. I turned to stare at Edward, who had an equally stunned look on his face. Once the older couple walked away, I tried talking, but nothing came out. I'm sure I looked like a fish…my mouth opening and closing, wordless. Edward managed to speak first, "I wasn't expecting them to say _that_."

I laughed, finally able to remember how to make sound. "Neither did I. What a surprise! _A young couple in love_. And here we are…roaming around the city as friends."

Edward got a strange look on his face when I said friends. "Well, I was kind of wondering, if you would mind…um, you know, being my girlfriend?"

I was floored. I was excited. "Of course!"

Edward rushed forward, picked me up and swung me around. We had just made each other's days. He set me down on the ground and kissed me solidly on the mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hung on. It felt great to be this close to him. I rested my head on his shoulder. "So, on to Voodoo Doughnuts? I think we've see all the sights here."

I nodded. My hand slipped into his and I pulled him in the right direction. Edward was slightly impressed and slightly astonished that Voodoo Doughnuts had maple bars with bacon, voodoo doll doughnuts, among many others. I just laughed at the look on his face when he read some of the items on the menu. After we each got a doughnut, we headed to his apartment, so he could drop of the things he bought at Saturday Market.

Once we got to Edward's apartment, I was slightly nervous to see it. What to guys really live like? I almost laughed at the stupidity of my thought. I was pretty sure that Edward and Jasper didn't live like complete slops. If they did, Alice will already be planning how to decorate their apartment. I hopped out of Edward's Volvo before he could come around and open the door for me. He scowled at me. I grinned back at him. I also reached into the trunk to grab a couple of his bags. "Will you stop scowling at me? I can carry a couple of bags without hurting myself!"

Edward grabbed the rest of his bags out of the trunk, grabbed my free hand and led me into the apartment building. Once we finally reached his apartment, he let go of my hand, unlocked the door and ushered me inside. His apartment was very masculine, and not a bit sloppy. It looked great.

"Hey guys!" Alice chirped.

"Hey Alice. Jasper here?"

"I am your long lost room mate and all you can say is _Hey Alice. Jasper here?_ I feel so loved, Bella. Loved."

I rolled my eyes at her. "I want to tell you something without Jasper in the room. So, where is he?"

"Why didn't you just tell me so?" Alice grabbed my arm and dragged me into the kitchen. "Nice to see you, Edward! Now, spill!"

"Edward and I are dating!"

Alice laughed and threw herself at me. Her legs went around my waist and gave me a tight hug, squealing. Jasper and Edward walked in on us, Alice wrapped around me like a freaking bow. "Wow…we just started dating and look at what she's doing," Edward said, jokingly.

"Very funny, Edward," Alice stated. "I love Bella, but she doesn't have what I need. Jasper on the other hand…"

"Alice, don't want to hear it!" I told her.

Alice slid down me and she skipped over to Jasper. I leaned into Edward, watching how Alice and Jasper were interacting with each other. They were acting as if the two of us weren't in the room. I coughed, "Now that we are finished with the entertainment portion of the date, Edward, maybe we can invite our friends to have dinner with us."

"That sounds like a great idea, Bella."

Japer and Alice had pulled their mouths away from the other's lips sheepishly. "But, they might be a little too busy to join us for dinner. Maybe we'll just have to do the double date some other time."

They finally pulled away from each other fully. "Fine, fine, fine. We'll go to dinner with you guys," Alice said.

"Don't act like you aren't excited to hang out with boring old Bella, Alice. Geez. Where's the love for me?" I said pretending to hurt. "Now, let's figure out where to go."

The four of us sat around the living room debating where we would go to dinner. I was almost at the point of offering to make dinner, but I figured we would end up debating about what I should fix. It was a toss up between Italian and Mexican. I stood up, pulled a quarter out of my pocket. "Heads is Italian, tails is Mexican." I flipped the coin. "Italian."

The funny thing about the argument was they had decided on an Italian restaurant, Macaroni Grill, but were really debating between two Mexican restaurants. So I didn't have to use my coin again to tell them where they were going to eat. The three of them looked at me and I shrugged. "You guys were acting like little kids, so I solved the problem like a little kid. Easy." They laughed at me.

Edward handed me my sweatshirt as Jasper handed Alice hers. We walked out of the apartment building together though Jasper and Alice took Jasper's car, while Edward and I took his. We agreed to meet at the restaurant.

It was so easy to be around Jasper and Edward. They were great guys. I am so glad that Alice and I stumbled upon them on at the bar a couple days ago. We had gotten so close that it seemed like we have known each other for months, at least. I didn't want to leave Edward tonight. I knew that he worked the next day. As did I, know that I think about it—at Powell's and I needed to get started on my new article.

After a couple hours at dinner, Jasper and Alice went back to Jasper and Edward's apartment. Edward drove me to my apartment. We walked up together and went into the living room. Edward walked over to my stereo and pushed play. The Wailin' Jennys came on. I hadn't put the CD away from last night. Edward cocked his head. "It's like I know this group, but I am pretty sure I have never heard them before."

"It's the Wailin' Jennys. They were playing last night when you were asleep on the couch," I explained.

"Ah." Edward pulled me towards the couch. We cuddled into each other. "Do you have to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah. 10 AM to 4 PM. Then I have to get started on my new article. I haven't even gotten any background information yet. I usually have that within a day of getting a new assignment. When do you start tomorrow?"

"6 AM. I get off at 4, but will have some paperwork do finish, I'm sure until around 5. Know what? Tomorrow I can see about setting up a couple interviews. I can't promise anything, all right."

"Thanks!"

We lapsed into silence, holding each other and listening to the music. When the CD was over, Edward looked down at me. "I need to go, Bella. I have to be up early to go to work."

I pouted, not wanting for him to leave my side. "Will you come over once you get done with your paperwork tomorrow?"

Edward nodded. He stood up and pulled me with him. I stretched up onto my toes so I could give him a hug. I pulled his mouth down to mine. The kiss was wonderful, but too short. Edward pulled back and rested his head on my forehead. "I'll call you before I come over tomorrow," he whispered. He gave me another kiss then slowly walked out of the door.

My perfect day ended far too soon.

_**Chapter 4 is up! Please review, even if you hated it. Just hit the button! You know you want to!**_

_**I have the website for Saturday Market, the Spoonman and Voodoo Doughnuts up on my profile. Real Portland places!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Here it is! Another chapter! I do not own ****Twilight**** or it's characters.**_

The next day, I started to go through the list of names, contacts and background information Mike e-mailed me. Writing about prostitutes was not my favorite idea of a job, but it is what I had to be doing. There were websites for me to look at. It was disturbing what these women were doing to themselves. I wanted to focus my article on why women became prostitutes. Was it because of their home lives? Did they need money that desperately? How many women chose this life compared to ones who were forced into it?

I slowly started setting up times to talk to women. Most of them wanted to talk over the phone, which made interviews easy. I did not feel completely comfortable meeting these women in person in the area that they work in. After I had set up ten interviews and conducted four, my head felt like it was going to fall off. These interviews were depressing. There would be no way I could spin a positive light on this article, nor should I try, but I might be able to get some of these women help. I'd just have to see how I would be able to affect the lives of these women.

I stood up from my desk to walk into kitchen. I had made myself a large pot of coffee earlier that morning. Holding the pot up, I saw that I had roughly a cup left. I poured it into my mug, before walking back to my computer. As I slowly sipped my coffee, I transcribed the interviews I had done. My head was spinning from the amount of work I had done this morning. Just as I finished up the fourth interview, Alice came bursting into our apartment.

"Bella!" Alice yelled. "We are going out to lunch. Get your stuff together, girl." I laughed. As much as I loved spending time with Edward, I've missed the alone time with Alice we always used to have before meeting the guys a couple days ago. She ran into her room and changed. I saw her run out of her room and into mine. "You ready to go? Put the clothes on I put on your bed. I can't believe you are still in you pajamas."

I groaned. "I've been working on my article. I haven't had time to think about getting changed." I went into my room, got changed and pulled my hair into a ponytail.

Once back into the living room, I grabbed my coat and purse. Alice and I walked out of our door and went to spend some quality girl time together. It was amazing hearing her talk about Jasper. She had talked about meeting someone like him before they even met. Now, after seeing them together and her again her talk about them, I knew this was the guy she had envisioned. This was the guy for her.

"We are going shopping as well, Bella," Alice stated as we walked towards the burrito cart we wanted to eat at. "I do not want to hear any complaining about it, either."

"Why do I need to go shopping? We just went shopping last week."

"You need to go shopping because I need to go shopping. I need to get some workout clothes," Alice informed me.

"Just workout clothes?"

"Yeah. My old ones are looking pretty ratty."

Laughing, I told Alice, "You don't own anything that looks ratty. You just think they look ratty. I will only go with you if you take thirty minutes or less. Edward and I are hanging out after he gets off. I also need to do some more work on my article."

We stopped at our burrito cart. It was only a couple blocks away from our apartment. We'd have to walk back to our apartment to get one of our cars, though. It was to far to walk to the store Alice wanted to go to. Once done with our burritos, Alice dragged me to her car. She was excited to get started. Why she felt the need to get work out clothes right now, I have no idea. It was hard to understand Alice at normal times, when she was in shopping mode, she was at least twenty times worse.

Once at the mall, Alice dragged me to several stores. She tried on dozens of different clothes. I was surprised at how fast she was able to get shirts and pants on and off. I would have killed myself by now if it were me. For once, I believe Alice was actually going to listen to my time restraints. "All right Bella. I am ready to go. Just got to buy this stuff."

I turned around and looked at Alice. Her arms were overflowing with yoga pants, sweat pants, shorts, tank tops, tee shirts, long sleeve shirts and socks. "You thought you needed to buy the store out?" I questioned.

"Well, I am going to start working out more. I want to work on my strength," Alice told me. "I don't want to have to wear the same thing every day. That's gross." She had a disgusted look on her face, her nose wrinkled.

"Would your sudden interest in getting stronger have anything to do with the fact that Jasper belongs to the gym we go to?"

"How do you know?"

"Edward belongs too. He told me about it."

Alice dumped her clothes next to the cash register. "Then why didn't you buy any new work out clothes?"

"Because I have enough work out clothes and Edward and I go to the gym at different times. Though, even if we went to the gym at the same time, I would still wear the stuff I already have."

"You have no sense of shopping fun," Alice stated, pouting. "Soon, you will find the fun that is shopping." She handed her credit card over to the cashier. I just grinned and grabbed a couple of her bags to carry out to the car.

I would never, ever find shopping fun. I put up with it. I allow Alice to drag me everywhere to go shopping. We always go shopping together, but Alice is always much more excited about it then I am. I just go with her to keep her company and to get her off of my back. Alice and I have worked out a deal. I let her take me shopping once a week. She is allowed to choose two outfits a week to buy. I have veto power over them. So far, it has worked out fairly well for us.

Alice and I took her workout clothes to the car (all four bags of them), placed them in the trunk, and then walked back to the mall. I wanted to get a couple movies before we headed back to our apartment. I browsed through the aisles of movies. I knew I wanted some new movies, but wasn't sure which ones I wanted to buy. Alice kept shoving different movies at me. Horror movies. I hated horror movies. They creep me out too much to describe in words. Simple noises would scare me in our apartment. Noises that I hear every day, but would think that there was a creepy guy lurking in my apartment.

After roughly ten minutes, I found the movies that I wanted. The Princess Bride and Clue. I hadn't seen either of those movies in years. They were both very funny movies. Alice was also excited about the movies I was buying. Though she had never seen Clue, she loved The Princess Bride. I was considering having Edward and Jasper over to watch Clue, maybe even The Princess Bride. I could make dinner…oh yeah. The more I though about it, the more I liked this idea.

"Alice…let's invite the guys over tonight. We can watch movies. I'll make dinner."

"Bella! That is the best idea I have heard in forever!" Alice dug into purse and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Jasper's number while I went up to pay for my two movies.

After talking to Jasper, Alice skipped over to me. "Jasper is totally in. He said that you could call Edward. He doesn't like to call Edward when he is at work. I wouldn't either…what if he was looking at a dead body when you were talking to him? How gross would that be?"

I laughed at her. "If he was looking at a dead body, I highly doubt he would answer his cell phone."

As Alice and I walked back to the car, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Edward's number. I hoped that he would pick up. The phone rang. And rang. And rang. His voicemail picked up. "This is Edward Cullen. I am either working or just don't want to answer the phone right now. Leave me a message and I'll probably get back to you."

"Hey, it's Bella. I am going to make dinner at my place and watch a movie or two. Jasper is coming over to be with Alice. Let me know if you want to come over. Talk to you later."

"Does this mean he is looking at a dead body?" Alice asked when I put my phone away.

I laughed. "You'll have to ask him. His voice mail doesn't say, 'Hey, it's Edward, I'm staring at a dead body. Call you back when I'm not looking at it.'"

We climbed into the car and drove first to a grocery store. I wanted to make something simple, yet good. As I grabbed a shopping cart, I started to grab things to make spaghetti with. I would make the sauce from scratch, because it tasted better and it didn't take that much longer. Just had to let the tomatoes hang out in the oven.

Alice darted around the store, grabbing things like the pasta, French bread and ice cream. She wanted to make sure we had desert. I was in the produce section. I had to get a lot of tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, onions, garlic, and carrots. Alice made faces at some of the vegetables I was picking out. "Will you stop making faces at the vegetables? You are going to eat some. The salad won't be big. I'll hide some of them in the sauce, just for you."

Alice just started laughing. "You are vegetable obsessed."

"There is no point in working out as much as you are planning too if you don't eat vegetables. Vegetables help keep your body strong," I stated. "Do you want regular bread or garlic bread?"

"Did you seriously just ask me that?" Alice questioned.

"Go get more butter. Get some eggs and milk while you're at it."

"Why?"

"Cause we need it."

I started walking towards the checkers as Alice darted off to grab the last of our groceries. I always liked going grocery shopping, just as I always enjoyed cooking. I found both of them relaxing activities. We lugged the bags to the car and Alice drove us home. After unpacking the car, and placing all of her new clothes carefully away in her closet, Alice took off again. She was meeting with Jasper before dinner.

Before working for a little longer on my article, I turned the oven on and placed the tomatoes in a large pan with olive oil and salt. I put on an Annie Lennox CD, sat down on my computer and got to work.

When my phone rang, I jumped. I looked at the clock, an hour and a half had past. I grabbed my phone as I quickly walked into the kitchen. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bella."

"Edward. How are you doing?" I asked. I got into the kitchen and turned the oven off and opened up the door.

"Great, now that I am talking to you. So, dinner and movies at your place?"

"Yes. Dinner should be ready around 6, if you want to come then."

"Can I come now?"

"Of course. If you don't mind watching me make dinner."

"I wouldn't mind. I'll be over in fifteen minutes."

We hung up and I did a little dance. I pulled the tomatoes out of the oven and started to mash them up. It was a lot of fun. Too bad I didn't have any anger to vent. It would have been a great way to let off steam. Once the tomatoes resembled sauce, the buzzer rang. I ran over to the door to let Edward in. He gave me a huge hug and a light kiss on the lips. "It's so nice to see you."

I let my head rest on his shoulder. "I've missed you," I whispered. It felt great to be in his arms again. Edward rested his head on the top of mine and his hands were stroking up and down my back. We stood like that for several minutes. "I need to start on dinner. Do you want to put on some music?"

Edward slowly let go of me. He walked over to the stereo and looked through the music Alice and I had collected over the years. As Edward was choosing music, I went into the kitchen to sauté onions and garlic for the sauce I was making. Once browned, I dumped my tomatoes onto the saucepan. I then put on a pot of water to boil the pasta. I then heard the Beasatie Boys coming threw the speakers. I smiled. I loved the Beastie Boys. It was exciting that Edward liked them too. Every day we spent together, we found out more and more how similar we are.

I put the sauce on low and started walking out to the living room, just as Edward was walking into the kitchen. He smiled at me. "It smells wonderful in here. What are you making?"

"Spaghetti. It is the best meal that I make."

"Really? What's your secret ingredient?" Edward asked as he pulled me over to the couch, so we could sit down.

"Real tomatoes."

Edward laughed at that. "Aren't all sauces made out of real tomatoes?"

"Yeah. Real tomatoes that have been off the vine for how knows how long. I take tomatoes and make sauce. No jarred sauces here. Alice refuses to eat anyone else's spaghetti sauce now."

We continued talking until Jasper and Alice showed up. Edward and I went back into the kitchen, so I could finish making dinner. Edward made the salad while I made the garlic bread and put the pasta on to boil. Within ten minutes we were eating. It was like a family dinner with the four of us sitting around the table. It had been too long since I made dinner for more than just Alice and I.

The four of us sat around the dinner table for at least an hour. We talked about music, movies, trips we'd taken and trips we want to take. When we finally stood up, Alice and Jasper stated they would clean up since Edward and I made dinner. I didn't argue. Nether did Edward. Edward pulled me towards the couch. We cuddled up next to each other and continued talking about where we'd like to go visit.

"I've never really traveled. I have been to see family in California. I lived in Washington. My dad took me up to Victoria, in Canada, once. That is it. I feel like I have missed out on a lot of things," I said.

"You just have a lot of things to look forward to go see. I would love to go to Europe. See England, Spain, France, Scotland, Ireland. All of those places. They have such history."

I smiled. "I would love to see those places. I think I would like to start in seeing Mexico. Going further east in the US. New York. The east coast in general. The history of the US is there. I like the idea of traveling to historic sites. Here, Europe, Mexico, South America. There are some things in the Americas that would be awesome to see. All the things the Mayans made." I had so many dreams of traveling around the world and even just traveling around the United States. I just wanted to see other places besides the west coast of North America.

"That would be cool." Edward sighed. "Maybe we could go somewhere. Not soon, but in the next couple of months. Get away for the weekend. Maybe a week if we could both get it off. But, only if it's okay with you. I mean, I don't want to, I don't know."

I laughed. "Edward…are you nervous?" He stared at me, nodded, then pulled me up onto his lap and buried his head in-between my neck and head. I just lived in the moment, and then decided to let him off the hook. "In a couple of months, I would love to go somewhere with you."

Edward's head shut up from it's hiding spot. "Really?" he asked. He looked like a little boy on Christmas day. "Are you serious? You'd go on a little vacation with me?" I nodded. "You just made my day!" I laughed at him as I put my head on his shoulder. We just sat like that until Jasper and Alice came in from the kitchen.

"Aren't you two just so adorable?" Alice asked as she flopped onto our other couch. "Which movie first?"

The four of us agreed on The Princess Bride. Alice and I had to be told several times that we couldn't say the lines along with the movie. It was hard to do. Alice and I finally were able to control ourselves. Since they guys had never seen the movie, it made us girls try harder. Edward and Jasper really liked the movie. Once The Princess Bride ended, Edward and I stood up to get desert for everyone. "Mint chocolate chip ice cream?" Jasper asked.

"My favorite," Alice stated.

"Mine too," he replied.

Edward put Clue into the DVD player. It was an entertaining couple of hours. The weird part of that movie is that all of the endings made sense. I was the only one who had seen it before. After tonight, I think it will become a weekly tradition to have a dinner and movie night. I wouldn't complain about it.

After Clue was over, I didn't want to move. I was comfortable curled up in Edward's side. I vaguely heard Alice and Jasper stand up and take the ice cream bowls into the kitchen. Edward looked down at me and whispered, "I'll take you into bed."

That woke me up. "I don't want you to leave," I complained.

"I can stay, as long as you're okay with waking up early. I have to be up around five. Gotta be into work at 6. I have a change of clothes there."

"That's fine." I stood up and we walked hand in hand to my bedroom.

Edward turned down my bed. I grabbed my pajamas and just stepped into my closet to quickly change. Once out of the closet, I found Edward sitting on my bed in just his boxers. I set my alarm clock, then we crawled into my bed and Edward put his arms around my waist. I easily drifted off into sleep.

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	6. Chapter 6

_**I am not the owner of ****Twilight****.**_

_**As someone hinted at, I am switching it up this chapter, so I hope you like it.**_

Edward's POV

I woke up, not completely sure of where I was. It took me a couple minutes to fully wake up and realize that I was in Bella's apartment. In Bella's bed. I really needed to stop sleeping in her bed. We hadn't been dating a week and we slept in the same bed twice. I didn't want to rush into a physical relationship with her. I really, really liked her but didn't want this relationship to be based purely on sex. It was really hard to think like that when I had Bella's arm thrown across my waist, her head on my shoulder and my hand on her stomach.

I really wasn't in a hurry to start slowly backing away physically. It felt wonderful to be this close to her. I looked at Bella's alarm clock. It was going to go off in five minutes. I closed my eyes, relaxing for a last couple moments before having to get ready for work. It went off much sooner than I wanted, even though I knew my time was limited. Bella sat straight up in bed and promptly fell out of it. Puzzled, I looked over the side of the bed. "Good morning?"

Bella stared up at me. "Usually, I am slightly more graceful getting out of bed."

I laughed. "That is okay. Would you like to grab a quick breakfast before I go home to grab a quick shower and a change?"

"Just let me grab a two minute shower to feel human."

When I nodded, Bella ran into the bathroom. I pulled on my dirty clothes as Bella showered and put on my shoes. Within minutes of leaving, Bella ran back into her room wrapped in a towel. My jaw dropped. She was gorgeous. "I gotta…um…I'll be in the living room." I darted out of the room. I couldn't handle an almost naked Bella. My mind was on things it should not be thinking about.

Bella skipped out of her room, fully dressed and hair still dripping wet. "I'm ready! Let's get outta here."

Smiling, I took her hand. As we walked out of the door, she grabbed her purse and keys. "Let's just use your car. I can catch a bus back. Besides, I need to grab some articles from the newspaper archives. I can only grab real copies from the office. It sucks."

"It sucks that you can only get them at the office?"

"Yes, because it means that I have to see Mike and talk to Mike."

"Mike?"

"My crazy supervisor."

"Right. The one who keeps asking you out?"

Bella shuttered. I really hope that Mike was just annoying and not doing anything else. I opened the car door for her and she slid in. "Does Mike ever go too far with you?"

"No. He is just a constant pain in my ass."

I smiled at that. That was the type of thing I wanted to hear. Before getting breakfast, we swung by my apartment so I could grab a quick shower and a change of clothes. Afterwards, we stopped at a Noah's Bagels for our breakfast. Nothing is better than a bagel and coffee for breakfast. Plus, more time with Bella. I think I was getting obsessed with her. Even though I have only known her for a short amount of time, she occupied my thoughts, my dreams even. I don't think I would ever give up the time I had with her or would have with her in the future.

We quickly ate our breakfast. I dropped her off at the Oregonian office and then I drove into work. I was wrapping up a kidnapping case. It always felt good to find someone who has taken off and returning them to their loved ones. Having a happy ending for a kidnapping case is always a wonderful thing. I had plenty of paperwork I needed to get done, as well as talking to lawyers. Before too long, this case will be fully closed and it will be one less thing I would have to worry about.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hours later, I was still at my desk, buried under paperwork. Yes, my kidnap case was wrapping up, but I still had other cases that weren't close to being done yet. "Cullen. I have something new for you." I looked up. My captain was standing over me. "I have a missing persons case. The daughter hasn't been seen in three years…"

"Three years ago? How can I possibly be helpful after all that time?"

"You do your thing. Cullen, you are a great officer and now everything there is to know about runaways and missing persons. Here is the case file. Everything you will need to know is in there." He dropped it on my desk and walked off.

I sighed. I opened up the case file and my jaw dropped. Bella's face stared up at me. _This is not possible_, I thought. _How come Bella is listed as a missing person and why did her case have to fall onto my desk?_ My elbows on my desk, I put my head into my hands. What should I do? I signed again. I knew the first step I had to take. I stood up and walked over to my captain's office. I knocked.

"Come in." He looked up from the stack of paperwork that had piled up in front of him. "Cullen. What can I do for you?"

"Captain Hale, I have a problem with the new case you assigned me." I place the case file on his desk.

"What might that problem be?"

"The missing person is my girlfriend."

Captain Hale shoved his chair back. "What?" he yelled. "Do you know who this is? How long have you two been dating?"

"Her name is Bella Swan. We started dating about a week ago," I answered; unsure of where he was going with this.

"Yes, Bella Swan. Daughter of Police Chief Swan of Seattle Washington. He hasn't heard from his daughter in roughly three years. He knows that she was scheduled to graduated from Portland State University last year, but couldn't get a hold of her."

I was stunned. Bella was the daughter of the police chief of Seattle? How awkward was that? Not only was she his daughter, she hadn't contacted him in three years. "What do I do about this, sir?" I asked.

"I want her brought in. Call her. Get her here. Let me know when she gets here. Dismissed."

Slowly, I walked back to my desk. I couldn't believe my luck. My girlfriend just got on my caseload. I have to be the unluckiest man alive. What would my captain say to Bella once she got here? Why did she go missing in the first place? I sat down heavily on my chair. Picking up my cell phone, I turned it over and over again in my hands.

Finally, I dialed Bella's number. I wanted to hear her voice, but at the same time I was hoping for her phone to go straight to voice mail. "Hey, Edward," Bella said on the other line.

"Bella. How are you?" I asked.

"Fine. Are you okay? Your voice sounds…strange."

"I'll be fine. I got a case today that kind of took me by surprise. Because of it, I need you to come down to the station. My captain wants to see you. The sooner the better." My eyes squeezed closed. I did not want to be doing this. I wish I could have kept Bella far away from my job.

"Am I in some sort of trouble? What is this about?" Bella asked.

"Please, just come down. You aren't in trouble. I will explain everything once you get here."

The hour it took Bella to get down to the station had to be the longest hour of my life. I kept debating about how I would tell her what I found out. It was a hard decision and my mind kept bouncing between ideas. I even considered just letting my captain tell her, but I felt like that was the most cowardly thing I could possibly do. As my mind raced, I couldn't stand still. I had to keep moving, pacing from my desk, to the front lobby and back again. "Edward?"

I spun around quickly and almost lost my footing. "Bella!" I went to her and hugged her tightly. "I am so happy to see you."

"Now, will you tell me what this is about?" she asked.

"Cullen? Is this Bella Swan?" Captain Hale asked.

I muttered slightly under my breath. Of course, he would creep up behind me right when Bella got here. "Yes, sir."

"Have you told her anything?"

"I just got here and I have no idea what is going on," Bella piped up. "Now will someone please tell why I've been called down to the police station? No offense Edward, but it's not like you wanted to go and get coffee or something."

"Ms Swan, I am Captain Hale, I would appreciate it we stepped into my office. Cullen, I'll call you when you are needed."

"Oh no. I am going in there with you. Her damn picture ended up on my desk. She is my girlfriend!"

Captain Hale stared at me. "I want him there," Bella stated.

Without a reply from the captain, I followed the two of them into his office. If Bella wanted me there, then that was were I was going to be. Captain Hale sat down at his desk and motioned for us to be seated. After Bella and I sat down, she reached over to take my hand.

"Would you mind explain to me why I am here?" Bella asked politely.

I grabbed the folder I had placed on Hale's desk and opened it so Bella could see. "You are my newest missing person case."

Bella looked at me, than at the folder I was holding. She shuffled through the pages. "My dad labeled me as a missing person?" she asked shocked.

"When he didn't see or hear from you for over six months, he got worried. He tried calling you, e-mailing, writing. He called Portland State to get your personal information, but they refused to give it to him. The other day, he called me because he had exhausted his resources. I was surprised he didn't call me two and a half years ago when he first started looking for you."

"I went to school. My father knew that."

"Yes, you went to school. But, you didn't contact your father or see him in three years. That is why you are a missing person," Captain Hale stated. "Why did you stop contact with your father."

Bella shook her head. "I did it because of his wife. Every time I called, she would cuss me out, call me names and tell me that my father never loved me. When I went to visit, she would do the same sort of things, as well as smack me around. I was fed up with it. I didn't do it because of Dad."

Captain Hale grabbed his phone, dialed a number and waited for an answer. "This is Captain Hale from Portland, Oregon. I need to speak with Police Chief Swan…yes, it is important…tell him it's about his daughter, he'll want to speak to me then." He tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk. Bella squeezed my hand. "Chief Swan. Yes, I have news of your daughter…No, she is not dead. She is sitting in my office right now…I would strongly suggest you coming down from Seattle. It seems you and your daughter have a lot to talk about." Hale gave Chief Swan Bella's cell phone number so he could call and set up Bella's address.

I pulled on Bella's arm and pulled her out Hale's office. I was glad that all of this was nothing too serious. I don't think I could have handled anything more intense than what just happened. Well, I still have to live through Chief Swan coming into town. Before Bella and I could reach the lobby of the station, her cell phone started ringing. I wanted to laugh. Of course the man who hadn't seen his daughter in three years would be calling the minute after he found out her number.

"Hey Dad," Bella said. She sat down on a bench and went over a couple things with him. She did not go into details, but it sounded like her father was coming down to Portland tomorrow. In the back of my mind, I was wishing all of my cases ended this easily.

Twenty minutes later, I was walking her out to her truck. I pulled her into my arms, wishing I didn't have to go back to work. "Do you want to hang out tonight, or do you want some alone time?" I asked quietly.

"I need you tonight. I know we talked about not spending the night any more and slowing things down. Alice is going to be at your place, besides I am not quite ready to tell her…"

"If you need me tonight, all of tonight, I will be there. Today has been a strange day," I told her. "I'll drop by my place for a change of clothes, pick up some dinner, then I will meet you at your place." I gave Bella one last hug before she climbed into her huge truck and drove off.

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	7. Chapter 7

_**Here is chapter 7. Sorry it took me so long to write it. Remember: the characters are not mine! They are S. Meyer's.**_

I was pacing my apartment. I couldn't stay still. Nothing was calming me down. Not music, reading or writing. I was picking at my fingernails. It was hard for me to fully recover from the fact I was reconnecting with my father. It has been three years since we had any contact…true that was my fault, but I was still nervous about seeing him again. I needed to be doing something with my hands. I headed towards the kitchen and started to make a pot of coffee.

There was a knock on my door. I jumped at the sound.

Slowly, I walked to the front door. I pulled the door open. "Dad!" All my uneasiness fell away as soon as I saw my father. "I'm sorry." I was only able to say those two words before I burst out into tears. Dad chuckled and pulled me into the living room so we could sit on the couch together.

It was easy to just sit on the couch and silently be held by my father. He kept rubbing my back and quietly saying, "Bells, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay."

When I finally calmed down enough to compose myself, I sat up and looked at Dad. We just looked at each other for several minutes. Our identical eyes had identical looks in them. Love and confusion. "I'm sorry I never called you," I whispered.

Dad chuckled. "Captain Hale told me what you said. That you stayed away, cut yourself off, because of Amanda."

I blushed and looked down at the floor. "Yeah. Sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry about the why she treated you. A couple months after you disappeared, Amanda told me she was glad and that she hoped you were dead. I was still looking for you. It tore Amanda and I apart, which is a good thing. So, I am now a free man," Dad told me. For Dad, this was a lot for him to say.

I laughed at his phrasing. "A free man?" He nodded. "Well, I am glad you are rid of her. Do you want coffee?"

Now it was Dad's turn to laugh. "You still jump around during conversations, Bells. I would love a cup of coffee." He followed me into the kitchen, so he could doctor his coffee. After getting our mugs of coffee, we went back to the living room. "Now you have to tell me what you are doing."

I smiled. "Well, I write for the Oregonian, roughly an article a week, and work part-time at Powell's, a bookstore."

"Writing and a bookstore? Who would have thought that from my daughter?" Dad asked sarcastically. I laughed at him.

"What are you doing up in Seattle? Besides your average police stuff?" I asked.

"Just about that. I haven't really done a lot since you stopped talking. Looking for you took up all of my free time." I fidgeted in my seat, embarrassed by how much I took away from my dad. "Bella, don't get all…whatever on me. I don't know if I could handle it. Also, it was my decision to look for you."

"Okay, fine, I won't get all…whatever on you," I agreed with him. I was ecstatic that my dad and I could so easily slip back into our old relationship. "Now we need to get you out in the world. Well, at least Portland. Let's go get lunch!" Of course, Dad agreed.

Dad and I got into his car and we went to Italian. Though he is a skilled police officer and an intelligent man, he is not one to try new types of food. When I was in high school, he would get scared when I would start making enchiladas. True, I got his taste buds to open up, but they frequently go into hiding. I smiled as I thought about this.

Once at the restaurant, we ordered our food and drinks. We spent almost two hours there, catching each other up on the last three years. I mistakenly told Dad about Edward. Now Dad, being the overprotective man that he is, wanted to meet Edward. I managed to get him to agree to meet Edward at a later date. I brought up the fact that it was Edward who technically "found" me from his missing persons report. Which wasn't a good idea. That little fact just wanted Dad to meet him even more.

"Dad! He's at work. He'll be tired when he gets off and you have to go home. Maybe the next time you come to visit. I just want to have some solid 'dad' time. It's been so long since we have been able to just be with each other and no one else."

"That's true. But, you better let me meet him the next time I am in Portland," Dad told me sternly.

I laughed. "You just want to make up for the fact that I haven't really dated before. You want to be able to ask all those embarrassing questions fathers ask guys who are dating their daughters."

"Of course. Cop or not, he cannot be perfect for you. No one is."

Groaning, I rolled my eyes. "Dad! I hope you get this out of your system now and don't embarrass me when you actually meet him."

Our waitress brought our check to our table. Dad pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and placed his debit card on top of the check. Once his card was run, we stood up and walked outside. We climbed into his car and he drove back to my apartment building. Dad, being the person he is, walked me up to my apartment.

"Bella!" Alice crashed into me. "You'll never guess what is happening? Jasper and Edward are going to The Cliffs with us this weekend on Saturday. But on Friday we are going to have another movie night…Jasper wants to cook dinner though, is that okay with you? We'll pick up the…Hello. Who are you?" Alice finally realized that I had not walked into the apartment alone.

"Alice, this is my dad, Charlie," I said.

"Pleasure to met you," Dad said, his hand out.

Alice too his hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

Jasper walked into the living room from the kitchen. "Bella? Is that you? Edward said you were having…oh. Hello?"

I laughed. "Dad, this is Jasper, Alice's boyfriend. Jasper, Charlie, my dad." They shook hands. "So, Dad, are you up for coming down for Thanksgiving? I was planning on making dinner for the four of us."

"Of course I'll come. I'll get a hotel room for a couple of days. Once I figure out the details, I'll let you know. I should get going. I would like to get home before it gets too dark," Dad replied, smiling. "I love you, kiddo. Stay out of trouble."

I hugged him. "I love you too. I stay out of trouble. Trouble seems to find me."

Dad laughed at our old joke as he walked out the door. Alice bounced over next to me. "Edward wouldn't tell me what is up. It's so unfair! He knows! Why can't I know?"

Walking to the kitchen, I grabbed a glass of water and went to sit on the couch. "He knows because a missing person's case file showed up on his desk yesterday."

"That happens all the time," Jasper stated.

"It was my case file. My dad reported me as a missing person. I haven't talked to him in three years. So, he filed a report. It finally got to Portland PD and on Edward's desk," I stated.

Though good things came out of my case file, I was tired of talking about it. So, I asked Alice about the house she was decorating. She was so excited about the wonderful things she was buying. The man, Billy Black, knew the type of things he wanted, but didn't know specific details. So Alice was able to have some free reign, as long as it was it was under his umbrella of terms.

The three of us sat around and talked about the upcoming weekend. Alice was excited to be able to do some double date things. Even though we have gone on many double dates together within the past week, week and a half, Alice always wanted to have the people she cared about most near each other. Plus, the weekend Jasper and Alice had planned sounded like fun.

_**Read and Review. Also, if you guys are seeing the movie this weekend (I know I am) enjoy yourselves! I'm excited for it.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**I do not own the characters! I hope you guys are all doing well.**_

Alice and I went over to Jasper's and Edward's apartment for dinner on Friday. Though I love to cook, it was nice to have a night off. Jasper, according to Alice, was a wonderful cook. We were in charge of dessert. Which meant, I was in charge of dessert. I made a cobbler and forced Alice to buy ice cream.

When we arrived, Alice barged right in. Apparently Jasper had already given her a key. I smirked at Alice. "What?" she demanded.

"You guys have been dating for a month and you have a key already?" I asked, still smirking.

"Of course! We are meant for each other," Alice stated as we walked further into the apartment.

Edward looked up from his stereo when he heard Alice's voice. His eyes just skimmed over Alice's little body and rested on me. He smiled at me. He pressed play on the stereo and some jazz poured out of the speakers. With that, Edward walked over to me and pulled me into a hug and leaned down to give me a kiss. "Ew!" Alice squeaked.

I smiled over at her. "You can't complain. I heard you and Jasper the other night."

Alice blushed. "Too much information," Edward stated. "Though…come to think of it…"

"I am going away now," Alice whined before running into the kitchen.

Edward laughed at her, and then placed his cheek on top of my head. We just stood like that for several minutes. Jasper interrupted us with his announcement that dinner was ready. He made a chicken casserole with a salad. I have to say that Jasper was an awesome cook. Maybe I should let him do more of the cooking on movie nights. I smiled at myself, knowing that movie nights would become a regular occurrence.

I was forced to tell Jasper and Edward how the meeting with my dad went. It was embarrassing to be in the center of attention for that long. They were all excited that I was making Thanksgiving dinner and that they would be able to spend more time with my dad. What really surprised me was that Edward was excited about it! Not many guys would want to spend Thanksgiving with their girlfriends' father, especially if the father is a cop.

After dessert, Alice and Jasper disappeared into his room. Edward and I were in charge of doing the dishes. It was nice to spend that time with Edward. Our relationship wasn't moving as fast as Alice's and Jasper's, so just being able to spend some time talking without any pressure.

Once we were done with the dishes, we moved to the living room. I don't think we would have a movie with the four of us. Jasper and Alice were still holed up his room and it sounded like they weren't going to come out for a while. "Do you still want to watch something?" Edward asked me.

I nodded.

As I got comfortable on the couch, Edward put in Panic Room, a movie I hadn't seen before. But, considering it has Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart in it, who wouldn't like it? Though it got a little freaky in places because of the home intruders, I liked it. Plus, the best part of watching a movie with Edward was that I got to curl up on the couch next to him.

Towards the end of the movie, Alice and Jasper emerged from his room. "Have fun?" I asked Alice coyly.

Alice laughed at me and Jasper blushed. "Of course. You should try having some fun sometime soon." They went to sit on the loveseat. Alice plopped herself down on Jasper's lap and made herself at home.

Once Panic Room was over, Edward got up and put in one of my all time favorite movies. Beetle Juice. Edward came back to the couch and sat next to me, one arm around my shoulders. "You two are so cute," Alice stated from the other couch.

I looked over at her. Her head was on one of Jasper's shoulders. I smiled at her and Jasper. Then leaned my head back onto Edward. The four of us stayed like that for hours. We watched a couple more movies. I only woke up when Edward picked me up to carry me into his room. "Just taking you to bed so you can sleep better, love," Edward whispered into my ear.

"OK," I murmured and snuggled into his arms.

When he sat me on the bed, he looked at what I was wearing. "Would you like to wear something else to sleep in?" I nodded. Edward ruffled through his dresser and pulled out a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He placed them next to me on the bed, grabbed some sweats and a t-shirt for himself and went into the bathroom.

I quickly changed, which caused me some problems. Trying to move fast when I was as tired as I was, did not work out well. I fell on the bed a couple of times. Edward knocked softly on the door. I opened the door, slightly embarrassed by how huge his clothes looked on me. He smiled at me, and then pulled me towards the bed.

I rested my head on his shoulder. Edward started humming a lullaby into my ear and I fell asleep listening to him.

~*~*~

When I woke up the next morning, I was half way lying on top of Edward. I was extremely comfortable and I didn't really want to move. But I shifted my weight so I was lying on the bed with my head on his shoulder and my arm around his torso. I felt him shift under my arm, so I looked up and he was staring at me. "Morning," I whispered.

Edward smiled. "Hey. You're cute when you sleep. Especially when you talk."

I groaned. It was never a good thing when I talked in my sleep. "What did I say?"

"You said that the shoe monster was coming for you and you weren't coming out from under the bed. I'm assuming that would be about Alice. You also said some things about your dad." Edward pseudo-shrugged. "How do you feel about going out to breakfast?"

"How do you feel about me just making some blueberry pancakes?"

Edward's grin became huge. "Blueberry pancakes? I love blueberry pancakes!"

I laughed at him. "You are easy to please. I want a quick shower first."

"Okay. There are extra towels in the bathroom."

"Great! Also, can I borrow some clothes?"

"I'll grab something for you."

I stepped into the bathroom and started showering. It was a little strange to shower and end up smelling like Edward. As I showered, I realized that I needed to talk to Edward a little bit more about Thanksgiving. I didn't want to do all the cooking by myself. More specifically, I didn't want to be alone while cooking the whole dinner. Alice already told me that she was going to spend sometime alone with Jasper during the day. He agreed to make pies, so he needed his oven.

When I hopped out of the shower, I noticed that Edward had snuck in and placed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt on the bathroom counter. I walked into his room and Edward smiled at me. "I'm going to take a quick one now. Hope you don't mind?"

"Nope, I don't mind."

I walked into the kitchen and started pulling all the ingredients I needed out of the pantry, shelves, and fridge. Before I started making the pancake batter, I put on a pot of coffee. Before I was done putting ingredients in a mixing bowl, Edward walked into the kitchen, slightly damp. I smiled over at him. "You need any help?" he asked.

"I'm good. I want to talk turkey with you," I stated.

Edward looked at me and cocked an eyebrow. "Turkey? I prefer my pancakes without poultry, thank you."

"Don't be such a smartass, you know what I'm talking about."

"Okay. My ass is no longer smart," Edward stated with a lopsided grin. "What's up with Thanksgiving?"

I took a breath. "Would you like to spend the day with me?"

"Spend the day with you?" Edward looked at me confused. "I thought I already was? There is no way I want to spend the day at my place with Alice and Jasper there."

I laughed. "So you don't mind hanging around here, watching me wrestle with a turkey? My dad will also be here on the early side because he wants to watch the game."

Edward grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee. "Fine with me. I'll be here to help you wrestle the turkey."

"Why is anyone wrestling with a turkey?" Alice asked, stumbling into the kitchen. "Tell me I smell coffee!"

"You smell coffee," Jasper stated.

"Give me. Now tell me about wrestling with turkeys," Alice demanded.

I laughed. I put all the pancakes I made onto a big plate and walked it out to the dining room table. Edward followed me with four plates and silverware. Jasper and Alice trailed behind us with coffee, butter and syrup. "Edward is hanging out with me all day on Thanksgiving. So, he is going to help with wrestle the turkey into the oven."

"I worry about you, Bella," Alice told me.

"You always worry about me," I whined.

"You need to start wrestling with Edward and leave all the turkeys alone. Cause I can only see you wrestling with turkeys, it is disturbing," Alice responded. "Edward, can you do something about that?"

Edward chocked on his pancake and looked up at me. "Don't bring me into this, Alice. I am just helping with the cooking."

I just shook my head. Alice was a force that I wasn't going to mess with. Edward needed to realize how crazy my roommate really is. Our banter continued for the rest of the morning. I finally needed to leave to work on my latest article. Edward drove me home so we could give Alice and Jasper some more time together. We made plans for the next night Edward had free. I was beginning to realize how wonderful it was to have someone in my life other than my best friend.

_**Please review if you've read. Please let me know if you have any ideas.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**I don't own the characters. Hope you enjoy!**_

Thanksgiving-EPOV

I went over to Bella's and Alice's apartment early. Bella said I should come over around ten when I told her I was going to be spending the WHOLE day with her. But I was so excited about seeing her and being able to spend the day by her, I was over at her apartment with two cups of coffee at nine. I heard Bella stumbling to the door. She pulled it open, her hair wet and in her robe. I felt a little embarrassed at being at her place an hour early and pulling her out of the shower. "Hey," I mumbled, no real words able to get out of my throat after looking at her.

Bella smiled and invited me inside. "Morning," she responded. I handed her a coffee.

"Sorry I am here early," I stated, shuffling my feet awkwardly.

All Bella did was laugh. "It's fine. Dad will be over in a couple of hours and all he'll be doing is watching football. I was just going to go to the store and pick up some stuff I forgot to get yesterday."

Bella went and changed into clothes as I looked around her living room again. Once she was changed and ready to go, I guided Bella to my car and we were on our way to the nearest Safeway. The store was fairly packed with last minute shoppers for potatoes, bread or whatever else they were missing. Bella led me around the whole store; getting things for gravy, salad and random things she needed for the house like coffee, filters, soap and other things. I just was happy to be able to be with her.

Though Bella and I had gone through the whole store, we were in line twenty minutes after we arrived. "For a girl, you shop quickly," I informed her.

Once again, Bella smiled at me. "I always shop quickly, unless I am looking at books. Then, you need a crowbar to pry me away."

I laughed at the image, especially since she worked at a bookstore. She must have a hard time getting out of work.

I insisted on paying for the groceries, which Bella was horrified about. She wanted to pay for everything. I needed to get her used to the idea that I was going to start paying for things. I wanted Bella to have everything she wanted and I wanted to be able to pay for it. She was going to have to suck it up and get used to the idea me and my money weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Once back at Bella's apartment, we saw that Alice was awake and active. She had picked up the living room and dining room and was currently scrubbing the kitchen. Bella just raised her eyebrow at her roommate. "What's going on, Alice?"

"Well you are making dinner and Jasper is making dessert, so I decided to clean up for you. That way you don't have to worry about it. Hey, Edward. What's cracking?"

I just laughed. "Nothing much is cracking, Alice. At least I hope not."

Alice put her sponge down. "Well, I am almost done here. Then I am going to shower and get out of here."

"Yesterday, Jasper said you were spending the day with him, starting at like 10:30. Then, when I left it seemed like he was already waiting impatiently for you when I left our place."

Alice's eyes got huge. She threw her sponge into the sink and ran to the bathroom. I stared after her, and then turned towards Bella. "What did I say?"

"Alice is just excited about hanging out with Jasper. She didn't want to go over there too early, which is why she decided to clean. Usually, I have to pull her teeth out to get her to help clean," Bella explained.

Within ten minutes, which Bella declared a miracle, Alice was showered, dressed and running out of the door. "See you guys around five," she yelled before slamming the door shut. Bella and I just laughed after Alice ran out.

~*~*~

Bella started doing all the little things to get dinner started. She told me that the turkey didn't need to go into the oven until 2, since we were eating at 6. That all the major cooking started once the turkey was in and roasting. I had no idea of how to do turkey dinners because my family always ate out on Thanksgiving.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked.

She glanced at me. "You can start peeling the potatoes."

"How many potatoes do you want me to peel?" I asked, feeling slightly like a moron.

Bella smiled at me. She pulled out a colander, dumped some potatoes into it and placed it before me. After that, she grabbed a peeler and two other bowls. "This should be enough potatoes. Go ahead and peel the skins into the smaller bowl and put the potatoes in the bigger one."

Once I had gotten started, Bella mumbled under her breathe. "I need music." She went into the living room and put on one of John Mayer's CD's. "Waitin' on the World to Change" came on through the stereos. I softly sang along with the music.

_Me and all my friends_

_We're all misunderstood_

_They say we stand for nothing and_

_There's no way we ever could_

_Now we see everything that's going wrong_

_With the world and those who lead it_

_We just feel like we don't have the means_

_To rise above and beat it_

_So we keep waiting_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_We keep waiting_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_It's hard to beat the system_

_When we're standing at a distance_

_So we keep waiting_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_Now if we had the power_

_To bring our neighbors home from war_

_They would have never missed a Christmas_

_Now more ribbons on their door_

_And when you trust your television_

_What you get is what you got_

_Cause when they own the information, oh_

_They can bend it all they want_

_That's why we're waiting_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_We keep on waiting_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_It's not that we don't care,_

_We just know that the fight ain't fair_

_So we keep on waiting,_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_And we're still waiting_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_We keep on waiting, waiting on the world to change_

_One day our generation_

_Is gonna rule the population_

_So we keep on waiting_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_We keep on waiting_

_Waiting on the world to change_

Bella sang along, but no sounds came out. She was just lip singing and she looked so cute doing it. As I was peeling potatoes after potato after potato, she was chopping all the vegetables up for the salad we would have. "Why not just do that right before dinner?" I asked.

"This way, all I have to do is dump all the little bowls of veggies on top of the lettuce. I won't have to do any of the time consuming work when I am doing stuff with the turkey, gravy, stuffing, etc."

"Oh."

Bella laughed at me. "You don't cook much, do you?" she asked.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked.

"Oh yeah. You always want to get as much done as you can before the big things happen. Just like you always want to wash dishes as you go along."

Once we were getting a lot of things underway, there was a knock on the door. Bella bounded over to open it. "Dad!" I stopped chopping potatoes into small pieces. I gulped. Was I ready to meet Bella's father? I don't think I was. "Edward! Come here."

Who was I to deny the woman I was starting to love? Yes, I was starting to love Bella. She was the most beautiful person in the world, inside and out. I slowly walked out to the dining room, where Bella's voice came from. I swallowed, not wanting to think of what this fellow policeman might do to me.

"You must be Edward. It's nice to meet you," Bella's father said, sticking his hand out for me to shake.

I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Swan."

"Call me Charlie," he sated. "Bella tells me that her case file landed on your desk. Thanks for getting a hold of me about that."

"Dad! Can we not talk shoptalk today? It's Thanksgiving," Bella stated. "Edward, can you take my dad to the living room? The game…Seattle vs. Dallas should be on soon. Dad, I'll get you something to drink."

Charlie followed me into the tiny living room. We sat down. Charlie got much more comfortable on the couch than I was. I was sitting stiffly on the love seat, not sure of what to do or say. Bella came back into the room with a beer in one hand. She walked over to her dad and handed it to him. "Here's the remote, Dad. Do you mind watching the game by yourself for a while? I need Edward to help me out."

"Go right ahead. I'm up for whatever. Bella, just let me know if I can help," Charlie said.

Bella snorted and started to walk into kitchen. "As if I'd let you near the kitchen. Burn the freaking place down," she muttered under her breath. I just smiled as I followed her. She kept finding me things to do in the kitchen, knowing that I was uncomfortable around her dad. If I was going to have to spend time with him, I want Bella near me.

~*~*~*~

The hours passed by quickly. Before I knew it, Alice and Jasper were over and we were eating dinner. Though I was sitting next to Charlie, I was grateful that Bella was sitting next to me and Jasper and Alice were at the table as well. Charlie kept asking me questions about work and Bella kept glaring at him. It was a little funny, the way her face looked whenever Charlie mentioned work. "Dad! No work talk, please," Bella insisted.

"Okay. If you and Edward actually tell me more about how you guys met and all of that," Charlie stated.

"We can do that, Charlie," I said. I did most of the talking because Bella was still fuming that her dad wanted to actually talk about us being together, where we met and everything between then and now. Alice, of course, helped me tell the story. The only thing we decided to leave out was the fact that Bella was interviewing prostitutes. A fact her dad would not be okay with.

Once dinner was done, Alice, Bella, Jasper and I quickly cleaned up. Bella was right. Since we washed and put away all the dishes we used to cook with, clean up was easy.

Alice was excited to serve the pies. According to her, they were the best pies ever! She was practically bouncing up and down. "Sorry guys. I gave her coffee earlier. I always seem to forgot that Alice and coffee should never go together." We all laughed.

The five of us sat back down at the table and Alice cut up her pies and gave all of us two pieces of pie. One piece of pumpkin and one piece of apple. We talked for several hours, before Charlie decided that he needed to get some sleep. Though he would be back the following day to hang out with us some more. Alice and Jasper also left to go back to my place. Before Jasper left, he handed me a small duffel bag. I looked in it. A change of clothes, some clothes to wear as pajamas, and a box of condoms.

~*~*~*~

Bella had led me into her room after we got changed. We were laying next to each other and Bella suddenly got up and straddled me. "What?" I asked, stupidly.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she asked, her brow arched, sexily and we moved on from there.

It was our first time. It was wonderful.

_**Please review. Yeah yeah, I know I didn't go into a full lemon. 1) The story is rated T. 2) I would have made it sound cheesier than it is right now. 3) Don't know how to write lemons well. So, review! You guys are awesome!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**I'M ALIVE! So, here is another chapter. Please review. That is one of the reasons I haven't updated this story in forever. No one seems to like it. So, let me know!**_

_**I don't own the characters. I just play with them.**_

It was hard to believe my article was due in two days. I had already sent it in, but Mike extended my deadline for another two weeks and made it twice as long. The past month has gone by so fast and so much has happened, I'm surprised I got all my research done and on paper. Alice wanted to take me Christmas shopping today. I ran away to Muddy Waters to write and to hide from her.

"Want some more caffeine?" Quil asked me.

I looked up, startled. "No thanks. I've got a date tonight and I'm already jumpy from the three lattes I've had."

Quil smiled. "You and Edward still doing okay?"

I blushed. "Oh yeah."

He just laughed at me. "Well, try not to have _too_ much fun, Bella." He grabbed my dirty cup and took off behind the counter.

Edward and I have been together for a month. It feels like longer but shorter at the same time. I think part of it feeling like we've been together longer is that we started getting physical early on. _Ugh. No thinking about Edward. Write about prostitutes. Diseases. Poverty. Pregnancies. Violence._

Once my brain cooperated with me and got in gear, I couldn't stop it. I had these women's voices stuck in my head. Their stories needed to be told. It was my job to tell their reasons for going on the streets, for living the way that they do. Luckily, I just had to add in portions of my article. I added an entire section and added parts to the other two that I had originally sent in to Mike.

Someone slammed the door shut. I jumped out of my chair and almost scattered my papers! Three lattes might have been too many. I guess if you only weigh 120 pounds, caffeine doesn't take too long before it starts affecting you. Though, part of it, was my subject matter. I talked to one woman who had become addicted to sex. Her addiction became her downfall. HIV positive and beaten countless times, she wanted to stay out there to help protect other girls. Her story wasn't the worse I head.

I liked already having half of my article written. Made my life seem so much easier. Edward managed to get me into see a couple of women at the jail. It was great to see how they reacted to Edward and me. They saw me as computation. They all wanted to "be" with Edward and I was in their way.

EPOV

"Cullen. We need to talk."

I groaned. Whenever my Captain said, "we need to talk," it never was a good thing. I stoop up and followed him into his office.

"What did you think you were doing?" Captain asked me.

"Sir, I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I am talking about. I'm talking about you taking Bella Swan into the prison and having her interview three prostitutes. She's a chief's daughter. She could have been hurt. You didn't clear this through be. You could be fired," he yelled.

I gulped. "She's a writer for the Oregonian. She's doing a piece on prostitution. Instead of letting her walk around 82nd with all the pimps and psychos, I opted for the safer option," I explained, hoping he would understand where I was coming from.

Captain sat down and stared at me. "They put Bella on that kind of story?" I nodded. "IF anything like this happens again, let me know before hand." I nodded again and internally sighed in relief. "You're dismissed."

I'm surprised I didn't get my ass chewed off. If Bella needed into a prison again, I'm hoping to convince her otherwise. It's not a good place for her to be. Plus, I liked my job. If Mike assigns her another job like this, I will have something to say to him.

Within twenty minutes, I had my paperwork done. I ran to my car. Bella was coming over tonight. She thought we were having a special dinner at my apartment. But I was taking her out to a fancy restaurant. A shower was desperately needed. Achoo and I found two half decayed bodies. That smell takes a while to scrub off. I had invested in a special laundry bin to keep the smell at bay longer. I would still have to wash them within the next twenty-four hours though.

It felt nice to step into the shower. I needed to look good tonight, not only because I was going to be with Bella but because of where we are eating. It's rare for us to have an actual date. We usually just end up at Muddy Waters or one of our apartments.

When I got out of the shower and started walking towards my room, someone pounce on me. "AGH!"  
"Sorry man," Jasper chuckled.

I looked down at Alice. Her legs were around my waist and her arms around my neck. Awkward. I was only wearing a towel. "What's up, Alice?"

"Please, please, please, please say you'll celebrate Christmas with Bella, Jasper and I."

I arched my eyebrow. "I need to talk to my parents. If they are coming here, then yes. If not, I have to fly home to Chicago. I haven't seen them in almost a year."

Alice detached herself from me. "Edward. This is very last minute. They _have_ to come here. I have everything planned already. Bella wants you here."

I smiled at her. "I'll talk to them tomorrow and let you know. Do you mind if I get dressed before Bella comes over?"

Alice squealed and ran into my room. I looked at Jasper. "Does she always do this?"

"Bounce, squeal, run and in general take over your life? Pretty much all the time. But, I'm thoroughly enjoying the ride."

APOV

It was only a couple weeks until Christmas. I was planning, shopping and decorating. Tonight I was going to go through Bella's closet…again. Silly girl. One day she will thank me for replacing her clothes.

When Jasper and I went to his apartment to pick up some clothes, I realized I never made sure Edward would be with us for Christmas. I just assumed he would be. It would totally ruin everything if he couldn't come. Bella would be devastated.

So, I just had to jump him when I saw him come out of the bathroom. "Please, please, please, please say you'll celebrate Christmas with Bella, Jasper and I."

I saw the look of want on Edward's face. He wanted to be with Bella. After I choose his outfit for him, I stood on my tiptoes and whispered, "Bella is really looking forward to tonight. She is even wearing her special occasion underwear. Be prepared." With that, Jazz and I left to go to my apartment for the night.

BPOV

I got my entire article done and sent off to Ben today. I couldn't be happier to finally have this thing done. It would appear in sections, throughout the week. I felt like I could almost write a book now about this subject. I was just sitting at my desk, after e0mailing Ben, for at least ten minutes before I noticed the time. "Shit!" I only had thirty minutes to get ready and get to Edward's apartment.

I rushed through a shower. Luckily, I already laid out what I was going to wear. (It had to be Alice approved.) Edward told me to dress up, though I didn't understand why, we were just going to be at his place. Dressing up meant my little black dress but also my dark blue underwear and bra. Edward loved the color on me but has never seen this set on me. I think he would die.

~*~*~*~*~

Edward too me to Jake's Bar and Grill. I couldn't believe it. It was famous. It was horribly over priced. I loved it. We went on an actual date to a fancy place.

"Did you enjoy yourself, love?" Edward asked in the car.

"Of course. It was wonderful. But didn't I tell you not to spend money on me?" I asked, hoping that he would feel bad about spending that much on a dinner.

"Too bad," he smirked. "I want to talk to you about something. We haven't talked about Christmas," Edward stated when we finally reached his apartment building. For some reason, I got insanely nervous. "Don't look so scared, Bella, it's not a bad thing."

I took his hand and walked him towards the couch. He sat down and I curled up on his lap. "What about Christmas?"

"I was going to go back to Chicago to visit my parents, but I didn't want to leave you with just Alice and Jasper…"

"Don't you dare stay here instead of visiting with your parents, Edward Cullen! You didn't see them over Thanksgiving, you just gotta go," I said. I felt tears well up in my eyes. As much as he should go, I didn't want to be alone and with out him.

"Silly Bella. My parents are going to come here."

I stared at him. "I'm going to meet your parents." He nodded. "Wonderful," I muttered under my breath. I knew that they wouldn't approve of me for their son.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

"What if they don't like me? What if they want you to break up with me?"

"One, they will love you. Two, nothing will come between us. My parents will be ecstatic that I am happy."

Edward pulled me into a tighter hug. I turned so I was straddling his hips. I pressed my lips against his. One of his hands dove into my hair and the other on the small of my back, pressing me closer to him. Our kiss was way too short, though we were both gasping for breath at the end of it. I slowly stood up and led Edward to his room.

EPOV

I put my hands on the he of her dress and slowly pulled it over Bella's head. I stopped breathing. She looked beautiful, like a goddess. The blue of her bran and underwear looked amazing against her skin. "You are so beautiful, Bella," I whispered.

She smiled at me, then grabbed my belt and started taking my pants off. I wanted to worship her, but she wouldn't let me. Once on the bed, her hands were all over me, as well as her mouth. "Bella, I need you," I panted. Once again, she straddled me and then took me for a long ride.

~*~*~*~*~

If I could wake up next to Bella every morning, my life would be perfect. It's hard to believe that we've only been together a month. I can no longer imagine life without her. When is an acceptable time to move in with your girlfriend? I have no idea. I just hop that time is really soon so I wouldn't have to stay away from her.

Bella started to stir. I knew our wonderful evening/sleep was coming to an end. Bella had to work at Powell's and I had to go in to the station for a couple of hours. Something about the paperwork I filed yesterday.

"Bella? Love?" I whispered. "Let's go get some breakfast." She nodded.

Little did I know that in a couple of week, my entire life would change.

_**Remember, if you like it or if you hate it, let me know through a review. Thanks!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**I don't own the characters, I just get to play with them!**_

BPOV

It is Christmas Eve. My dad just came down to visit for a couple of days. Him and Edward spent some time together, Dad really wanted to make sure "his little girl was safe and sound" here in Portland. Dad was spending today and tomorrow with his best friends Billy Black and Harry Clearwater and their families. Which was fine with me because Edward's parents were coming in from Chicago. I was a little worried about that. I haven't been feeling well and having my boyfriend's parents spending the week with me is a little much to handle at one time. Edward was currently picking them up at the airport. They were staying at a hotel not far from our apartments. His parents, Edward, Alice, Jasper and I were all having Christmas breakfast together, and then Jasper and Alice were spending time with her family.

I'm happy for this week that Edward's parents are in town. He worked almost three weeks straight in order to have all of this week off. He promised me that we would be in the same bed every night.

"Bella!" Alice cried. "Don't we need to go to the store? I thought we were out of something you needed desperately in order to cook dinner, or breakfast or cookies or something."

I sprang off of my bed. "Oh yeah. Just let me grab my purse, Alice," I called. I had to take a minute standing at my dresser because my head started spinning.

When I finally walked into the hallway, I was weaving a little. "Have you been drinking, Bells? That's not like you," Alice asked. Her face was the picture of concerned friend.

"I haven't been feeling well the past couple of weeks. Almost since Thanksgiving. It sucks," I responded.

"Not feeling well how and why haven't you told me about this before? Have you told Edward?"

"I didn't want to worry you or him. I've been nauseous. I get dizzy if I move to fast or stand up too quickly, which I just did. Certain smells put me off. My appetite has been a little weird as well."

"Why haven't I noticed that?" Alice asked.

"Could be that if you're here, I'm at Edward's or vice versa."

We started walking towards her car and she still continued to pepper me with questions. "Have you seen your doctor?"

"No, I can just see her telling me that I have a cold and I'll feel better soon."

"You don't have any cold symptoms. You kind of have flu symptoms…well, almost pregnancy symptoms."

"That is so _not_ funny, Alice," I scolded her. "Pregnant. As if."

"Don't you tell me as if girlfriend. I know what you and Edward do at night and it sure of hell isn't playing Scrabble or poker."

I winced. I guess it was possible for me to be pregnant, but that just couldn't work. Edward was a job and I was a struggling writer. True, I got a huge paycheck for the article (well, articles since it was split up into 7 sections), but I couldn't afford to have a baby.

Alice pulled into a parking spot at our neighborhood grocery store. Once we were going through the aisles, I picked up the things that I needed. Chocolate chips for cookies, avocados and tomatoes for the salad, eggs for breakfast and some shampoo because we were almost out. Alice, while walking past the pharmacy, grabbed two pregnancy tests and threw them into the cart as well. I glared at her. "Can you tell me when your last period was?"

I opened my mouth and closed it again. It was supposed to start the same week my articles were due, which was almost three weeks ago. Alice smirked at me. "You're late, aren't you?" I nodded slowly. "It doesn't hurt to try. I am making an appointment for you since you are late. If it comes out positive, tell Edward it's a possibility."

"I can't do that! It's Christmas Eve and his parents are here for a week. There is no time for me to tell him, 'Oh, Edward, Merry Christmas, I might be pregnant with your baby.' That won't go over well."

"How do you know? Have you two talked about kids?"

"NO! We haven't even been dating for two months yet."

"Strange. Jasper and I have talked about it. Also about moving in together and getting married," Alice mused.

"Not so strange, you guys were in bed together the second day you saw each other. Edward and I have taken things a little more slow. I don't know if I would be ready for a child, let alone getting someone else involved."

"It's a baby. Of course someone else would be involved."

I rolled my eyes and took my wallet out of my purse to pay for our purchases. I was really tempted to tell the cashier to not ring up the pregnancy tests. Though, I knew Alice would buy them herself then tie me up in the bathroom and make me pee on the sticks. If only I didn't have such a pushy roommate. Why couldn't she just see that I had the flu or a cold or something?

I managed to convince Alice that I wanted to put the groceries away before I peed on any of the sticks. (There were two per pack and I bought two packs.) Alice wants me to pee on at least two of the sticks. If they had the same answer, she said I didn't have to pee on the other two. However, if they had different answers, I had to pee on all four. As soon as the eggs (the last item to be put away) were set in the fridge, I was walked into the bathroom. Alice, once I had shut the bathroom door, called her doctor's office to set up an appointment for me as soon as possible. What kind of doctor's office was open on Christmas Eve?

Luckily, I had to go to the bathroom. So I peed on the two sticks, opened the door and waited.

EPOV

I was waiting at the airport for my parents. Though they wanted to rent a car, I said that they could just borrow mine since I could catch a ride with Bella. The thought of riding in her truck almost broke me out into a sweat, but it was easier for everyone if Bella and I shared a vehicle while my parents were in town.

Hopefully, Bella is feeling better. She hasn't said anything to me, but I know that she's been in a little funk lately. I don't know what is going on. Hopefully, she'll feel like talking about it tonight.

"Edward!"

I spun around. "Mom! Dad!" I ran towards my parents. I was waiting by security, so I would see them right when they walked up. "It is great to see you guys!"

"It's good to see you too, son," Dad responded.

"Edward, really, it's been way too long. Now, where's this Bella of yours? I want to meet her," Mom asked.

I laughed. "Of course you want to meet Bella. Don't ask me how I'm doing or anything, just where is your girlfriend?"

Of course Mom rolled her eyes at me. I've been talking about Bella non-stop for the last two months. My parents, especially Mom, are upset that they haven't met her yet. Don't tell them about the practical reasons; like that they lived over two thousand miles away. That doesn't mean anything. Parents.

"Don't tease me Edward. I want to meet her," Mom said, pouting slightly.

"We're going out to dinner with her tonight and have breakfast tomorrow morning with her, her roommate and my roommate. Don't worry, Mom. You'll have plenty of time to get to know Bella," I responded. Hopefully Bella is okay with my mother. She's a little out there. Almost like Alice. I guess Bella would be able to hold her own with my mom if she can live with Alice.

~*~*~*~*~

I couldn't wait until I saw Bella. I missed her so much. I wasn't able to see her much in the last week or so because of our different work schedules. She worked a lot at Powell's and did a lot of research and writing for her current articles so she would be able to spend time with my parents and I. Being away from her for so long was hard. I liked being able to see her ever day. I was getting spoiled.

My parents and I stopped by their hotel so they would be able to check in, drop off their suitcases and change. They wanted to try out Jake's Bar and Grill after I said so many good things about it. I was lucky to be able to get a reservation there on Christmas Eve. Bella was going to flip. Not only because she liked it so much, but because of the prices. She hated people spending money on her. All she knew about tonight is to dress up a little. I told Alice where we were going, so I'm sure Alice picked out Bella's wardrobe…again.

Finally, we pulled up into Bella's apartment building. I led my parents upstairs to her place. "WHAT? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? ALICE!" I heard Bella scream. My eyes went wide and I looked at my parents, who of course, didn't know what was going on. I knocked on the door.

Alice threw the door open. "Oh thank God. Edward, she is totally resisting everything. You would think she would be okay with a skirt, but no."

"That is NOT a skirt, Mary Alice Brandon. That is tiny piece of cloth sewed in the shape of a tube. I will not be putting that on," Bella half yelled from her room. "Now get your skinny butt in here and help me find something else."

I laughed and turned towards my parents. "Bella and Alice fight all the time about their clothes. Alice wants Bella to show a little more skin, Bella wants everything to be covered up. It's funny to listen to."

"You wouldn't think it's so funny, Edward, if you had to wear a leather mini-skirt and a bright pink tank top," Bella cried.

Finally, the girls had situated Bella's outfit. She ended up in a pair of dark colored jeans, a pink tank top and a black button up sweater. She nervously smiled at my parents. I took her hand, hopefully that would help her with her nerves. Alice stood on the other side of her, also wanting to meet my parents. "Bella, Alice, these are my parents, Esme and Carlisle Cullen. Mom, Dad, this is my Bella and her roommate Alice."

Mom squealed and hugged Bella and then Alice. "It is so nice to finally meet you. Edward talks about you all of the time."

Bella smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Cullen," Alice and Bella murmured together.

"Please, I'm not that old. Besides, Mrs. Cullen is my mother-in-law. Call me Esme."

"Okay, Esme. It's nice to meet you," Bella repeated.

Mom smiled. "Stop taking up all their attention," Dad stated. "I want to meet them too." Dad went up and gave them hugs as well. "Now, let's go get dinner."

Alice ran off to be with Jasper while we slipped into my car. We agreed that Mom and Dad would drop us back off at Bella's before they went back to their hotel. We were having breakfast at Bella's anyway, so Bella and I would not have to drive anywhere before we started making breakfast.

~*~*~*~*~

Dinner was very easy. Though Bella complained a little about coming to Jake's again, Mom and Dad persuaded her that it was their treat to us, to see it as a Christmas present. Only I heard her murmur that she better not be getting anything else. An expensive dinner out was more than enough money spent on her. I slightly disagreed with her and would save my fight for tomorrow when we exchanged presents.

Bella and I were finally dropped off at her apartment. It was nice being with my parents, but I also craved alone time with my Bella. It had been way too long. "How are you feeling?" I asked when we walked through the door. I was determined to discover what was up with her. I was concerned. So often, Bella was taking care of other people and ignoring herself.

"I'm okay. Just been feeling a little off lately," she responded.

"I noticed. Have you seen a doctor yet?"

She grimaced when I said I had noticed. "No, but I have an appointment scheduled for Friday, the day after Christmas. Alice made it for me."

"Good. I hope that you start feeling better."

Bella didn't answer. It was strange, Bella, who was normally talkative with me, was hardly saying anything. She would only answer my questions. "Are you sure you are okay?" I asked again right when her cell phone started ringing.

Bella took it out of her purse. "Hey Alice." Pause. "Not yet." Pause. "I know. I will. We just got home." Longer pause. "Don't worry about it. I will." Pause. "I'll let you know tomorrow." Pause. "Yes, I'll tell him tonight." Pause. This concerned me. What was she going to tell me tonight? "See you tomorrow, Alice." With that, Bella snapped her phone closed.

She looked at me with tired eyes. "Let's get ready for bed. I'm tired."

I nodded. "Will you tell me what is going on once we're ready for bed?" She nodded. I held her hand and we walked slowly to her bedroom. Once in our pajamas, we sat down, our backs resting against the headboard. "So, what's up?"

Bella rested her head on my shoulder. "I stood up earlier today and got really dizzy. It wasn't the first time either," she started. I frowned. "I told Alice that I wasn't feeling to good and told her my symptoms. I've just been assuming I've been a little sick and that it would go away. When Alice and I were at the grocery store, she bought me some pregnancy tests."

"What?" I asked.

"Yeah. All four of them came back positive."

I didn't know what to say. I was ecstatic but at the same time I was apprehensive. Bella didn't seem to be all that excited about it. I loved the idea that I was going to be a father! "So, that is what your appointment is for? To make sure you're pregnant and to get all that stuff started?" I asked.

"Yes. Aren't you mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Doesn't a baby ruin everything? I want it, I really do, but wouldn't it be easier if we waited. We've only been dating for two months."

"Our baby would never ruin anything. I would love to have a baby with you."

"Well, then. Merry Christmas, Edward."

I looked down at her and smiled. I couldn't wait to tell my parents. This was the best Christmas present ever.

_**Let me know what you think. Also, check out my other stories. **_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Not my characters. Enjoy!**_

EPOV-Christmas Day

I was going to be a father. It was the first thought that popped into my head. Though Bella hadn't gone to the doctor's yet, four pregnancy tests is pretty much a positive on the pregnancy front. Even I knew that and police work is far from anything relating to pregnancy. I couldn't wait to tell everyone. Though, I am sure Bella would want to wait until her appointment before telling everyone.

In my head, I was going over everything that we would have to do before the baby came. I want to move in with her before Bella gives birth. I want to be near her whenever we weren't working. I want her to be safe. Though I would love to be married before I had children, I am leaving that up to Bella. As long as I am with her and the baby no matter what, I don't mind if we aren't married.

Bella started stirring in my arms. She turned her head to be able to see what time it is. She squeaked. "Your parents are coming over in an hour. We need to take a shower and get breakfast going!" She sprang out of her bed and ran to the bathroom. I groaned. It was Christmas day. Was it really too much to ask to cuddle with my girlfriend? She darted out of the bathroom quickly. "Edward! Go take a shower. It's Christmas!"

I grinned over at her. "Merry Christmas, baby," I told her.

She walked over to me and gave me a kiss. "Merry Christmas."

"That is one of the best Christmas present I could get," I told her. I placed my hand on her stomach. "This is the other best present."

Bella placed her cheek on my head. "I'm glad that you are happy about this. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't okay with this."

I pulled her down so she was sitting on my lap. "Bella, I am extremely happy that you are pregnant. I know it isn't the best timing and that we haven't been going out very long, but I am excited for us. We are going to be parents. I have always wanted to be a dad and now I get to give it a try." I looked at her face and she was grinning, but tears were falling down her face. "What's wrong?"

"I just was so scared. I didn't want to tell you because I thought that you would want me to get an abortion. Though I didn't know if I want to keep the baby or not, I now know that you want this baby. It just makes be feel so much better. Do you think we're doing the right thing? Keeping the baby when we've only been together for two months?"

"Bella, we have months to talk about this. I think that we will be good parents and that our baby will be happy. Plus, we have our friends to help us out. Now, let's get ready for Christmas. My parents will be here soon, and then we have to put up with Alice. She should be all hyped up," I answered, hoping that the answer will last until we have a long time to talk about babies.

I went to take a shower while Bella started breakfast. My shower was short, so I could help Bella as much as possible.

It surprised me when I walked into her little living room area and my parents were already there. "Hi?" I said.

"Don't sound so surprised to see us, son," my dad stated. "You knew that we were going to be here."

"Merry Christmas," I responded. "I just didn't know that it was so late. Otherwise I would have taken a shower earlier than I did."

My mom came out of the kitchen, "We were rude and came early. I am not ashamed and don't care about rudeness. I wanted to see my son and his girlfriend." I walked up to her and gave her a hug, as I was chuckling. "Merry Christmas, Edward."

"Merry Christmas, Mom."

Bella pocked her head out of the kitchen, "Edward? Can you help me finish up breakfast?"

"Of course." Of course my parents would show up early and I would forget that I am suppose to be helping my girlfriend make breakfast. I'm glad it's Christmas, but it is the first one that I had a girlfriend. I feel like I have to divide my time between my parents and Bella. Though, I shouldn't feel that way. They are all part of my family.

When I was helping with breakfast, Alice and Jasper came over. It was great because between Alice and my mom, Bella and I didn't have to play host, even though it was Alice's apartment and not mine.

Bella, of course, felt the need to make a ton of food for breakfast. It was like she was trying to feed a small African country. She had pancakes, eggs, bacon, muffins, juice and coffee and wanted to have something other things, but I convinced her that she had made enough. Everyone was very happy to see the food that she had made.

After we ate, we got ready to open presents. Bella, I knew, would be annoyed when she discovers that I actually spent money on her. "Alice, why don't you calm down?" Jasper asked.

"Calm down? It's Christmas! We're supposed to be joyous and happy and excited! Plus, I get to give out the presents I bought! That's the best part of Christmas," Alice stated. "Now, Bella, get your butt over here and sit down. You are getting some presents, I don't care if you want them or not." Alice took a big sip of her coffee. "BELLA! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Breath or I will take your coffee away from you," Bella responded.

Alice held her coffee mug tighter in her hand. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would so dare, now calm down or else you can't give me anything," Bella stated.

"And I'll take the coffee away," Jasper added. Alice pouted, but agreed. My parents were laughing at the exchange between my friends.

We had slowly gathered in the living room, on the couches and chairs. Bella was in my lap on one of the chairs. Bella and I put our presents on the coffee table last night. I carefully hid the presents that I had given her. I didn't want her guessing that I spent a lot of money on her before she opened her presents.

Alice bounced out of her seat and grabbed a stack of presents off the coffee table. "All right. These are from me and Jasper." She gave a present to my parents, one to me and one for Bella. My parents started to say something but Alice stopped them. "Please. You're Edward's parents and you mean a great deal to Jasper. So, we are giving you a Christmas present."

"Plus, it gave her something else to shop for," Bella added. Alice nodded and smiled. "You better have spent less than fifty dollars on me, missy."

"Don't worry. That one is less than fifty dollars. I have something for you that is just from me," Alice stated. Bella groaned and threw a pillow at Alice's head. Jasper caught it and threw it back. Of course, it ended up hitting me in the head.

We all started giggling. We opened our presents from Alice and Jasper. My parents got two framed pictures, one of Alice and Jasper and one of Bella and me. I got a picture of Bella and I, the same one my parents got. The picture was taken when we were outside. We were holding hands, looking at each other and laughing. They also got me a couple of nice pens to use at work. Bella got a different picture of the two of us. She was sitting on my lap, with her head on my shoulder. One of my hands was playing with her hair. These pictures of us stunned me. I didn't even remember them being taken.

Alice also gave Bella a box of clothes, I am sure some of which are maternity clothes. Bella was told that there is more where they came from too, which frustrated her. Alice gave me a lap blanket. At first I didn't fully understand why she was giving me a blanket that didn't fully cover me. All Alice did was glance at Bella's direction, that made me understand. It was really for the baby.

Jasper just gave my parents, Bella and I gift cards. My parents got a gift card to the Olive Garden, which they love. I got an iTunes gift card. Bella got one for Powell's. Though she worked there, it would be nice for her to get some books for free, not just discounted.

My parents got Alice and Jasper, as well as Bella and I, tickets to fly out to Chicago to see them. "Oh my God!" Alice screamed. "That is awesome! Do you know what I could buy in Chicago? Do you know what kind of stuff I could bring back for my work? This is the best present ever." She rushed my parents and hugged them. Of course, Bella wasn't that excited. She liked the idea of being able to see my parents; she just hated the idea that they bought her a plane ticket.

I gave Alice a gift card to a very fancy fabric store that Bella told me she loved as well as one for Michaels. Bella said that Alice gets her basic sewing supplies there, but she buys only high-end things. I figured might as well. I gave Jasper several tickets to go see the Blazers. "If Alice doesn't want to go with you, I will."

"I am the epitome of a Blazer's fan, Edward," Alice told me.

"She is an ultimate fan. It is pretty cool," Jasper added.

For my parents, who I know don't really need anything, I burned each of them several CD's of music that I thought they would like as well as some music I recorded. Bella was the hardest person to buy for. I got her a necklace. "Edward! Why are you buying me jewelry?"

"Because I can. Besides, I think it will look wonderful on you," I replied. I grabbed the heart shaped pendent and put it around her neck. It is perfect for her.

Now Bella just needed to hand out her presents. She gave my parents gift cards to Powell's, because I told her they were interested in the huge bookstore that she worked at. She gave Alice a new date book for the next year. It was one of the most intense looking date books I have ever seen. Bella explained to me that Alice had to have something like that because of all of her appointments. Jasper got several books on local history. (I suggested this since I knew how much he liked history.)

Bella then handed me my presents. "You didn't have to give me anything," I told her. I leaned closer to her ear, "I already have something from you." She shrugged and tapped my gifts, telling me to open them. One was the picture of the two of us I hadn't gotten. I was very glad that I had both of the pictures. The other present were several pairs of funny boxers. I laughed. Simpson's, sponge bob, and a couple other cartoons.

"I couldn't help it," Bella stated. "They looked so unlike you, that I had to give them for you."

"Thank you," I whispered and leaned down to kiss her.

"I wish I could stay for make out session, but Jasper and I have to go hang out with my crazy parents," Alice stated.

Bella winced. "I'm sorry, Jasper."

"They like that I don't have a nose ring, but think it is such a waste that I am going to teach history. 'A waste of a mind,'" Jasper stated.

"They sound like they don't know what they are talking about," Mom said.

"They don't," Bella and Alice said at the same time.

Jasper and Alice took their leave, leaving Bella and I with my parents. I had my mouth open to ask them a question, when Dad said, "I think your mom and I are going to head back to the hotel for a couple of hours. We made reservations for dinner tonight and we don't want any complaining, Bella. This is part of your present." Bella nodded.

Since we were alone, Bella and I decided to take a nap. I could tell that Bella's body was changing, simply by the fact that she was tired from only having made breakfast and having a couple people over. Getting a baby blanket from Alice was one of the best gifts ever. I knew she had to have bought it yesterday, but it meant a lot to me. I think I am going to love my Christmas present this year.

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	13. Chapter 13

_**Guess what? I don't own the characters! SM does. Enjoy the chapter.**_

BPOV

I had my doctor's appointment today. Edward had arranged to take a couple hours off of work. That fact both annoyed me and made me happy. I wanted him with me at the doctor's, but it meant that he left for work three hours early this morning. So, I didn't see him at all this morning. We planned to meet at my doctor's office, and then go to lunch together.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. I wanted to be a parent but I didn't want to be a parent this soon with someone I just started dating. I loved Edward. Haven't told him yet, but the feelings were there.

I drove slowly to the hospital. Once in the parking lot, I took several deep breaths before climbing out of my truck and going to check in. Edward was already there, pacing back and forth. Seeing him like that made me smile. It seemed that he was just as nervous as I was feeling. When he saw me, he half ran towards me and gave me a hug.

"Hi, beautiful," Edward whispered in my ear. "How are you doing?"

"I'm nervous," I replied.

"Me too. Why are you nervous?"

"I want to be pregnant. I really do. But at the same time, I am hoping all those home pregnancy tests I took were false positives. That if I'm pregnant, it forces us to move so much faster than either of us were planning," I explained.

Edward sighed. "I know how you're feeling. But, I would be perfectly happy to have a baby with you. Nothing would make me happier. I would also be happy if it ends up that you aren't pregnant. You know how I feel about having a baby. I think we would be great parents."

I nodded, grabbed his hand and went to check in with the receptionist. We were told which section of the hospital to go to. Edward and I sat quietly on the uncomfortable seats, waiting for the nurse to call my name. When she finally did, Edward and I followed her into a room. "My name is Sylvia and I'll be your nurse this morning. First thing, I need to take your blood pressure and your temperature."

"All right," I responded. Edward sat down in a plastic chair by the door.

Sylvia put the blood pressure cuff on my arm and after a few moments recorded the numbers. She then took my temperature and recorded that as well. "All right, Ms Swan, when was your last period?"

"Almost two months ago."

"Was it a normal period?"

"Yes. My periods are normally fairly light and this one wasn't any different."

"All right. Now, there is a bathroom just across the hall. I need to get a urine sample. When you're done, go ahead and turn it in to the lab tech at the counter. After the urine sample is checked, your doctor will be in to talk to the two of you. Also, once you come back, please put this gown on"

I nodded and took the cup. I looked at Edward, then opened the door and headed to the bathroom. It was always awkward to be a woman and try to pee into a cup. After peeing in the cup, and a little on my hands, I washed my hands and headed out to turn in my pee to the lab tech. When I walked back into the room, Edward pulled me into him. I laughed and pushed him away so I could put the scratchy hospital gown on.

All we had to do was wait for the doctor. Luckily we didn't have to wait long. "Hello, Ms Swan. I'm Dr. Sanders," she introduced herself. She looked over at Edward, "Are you the boyfriend?"  
Edward laughed a little. "Yes. I'm Edward Cullen."

"All right. Ms Swan, the urine sample came back positive." I drew in a sharp breath and Edward started smiling. "You are six weeks pregnant. So, what I am going to do now is going to be a lot like your annual exam. I just want to make sure everything is healthy in your cervix and your breasts." I nodded. Just want I wanted. "After all of this, you will have to give a blood sample to our lab techs to make sure you don't have any STD's or anything else like that." I shivered a little bit. I hated having give blood samples. I hate blood in general.

I lay back down on the hospital bed. Though I knew what was happening, it didn't help. These kinds of exams are uncomfortable to say the least. Edward scooted his chair closer to the bed and held my hand. I smiled over at him, glad that he was here for me. "This is going to be a little cold," Dr Sanders warned me. The pelvic exam has started. A few minutes later, "good. Everything looks very healthy done here. Now, let me check your breasts." She moved towards my chest to make sure I didn't have any lumps. "Well, you are looking pretty healthy. When I get the test results from the blood sample I'll let you know. You need to schedule another appointment in a month."

"All right. Is there anything that I should or shouldn't be doing?" I asked.

"Eat healthy. Limit caffeine and sugar. Don't drink or smoke. A glass of wine every once in a while won't hurt either of you, but don't over do it. Exercise."

"Should she be limiting the amount she works or is on her feet?" Edward asked.

I almost groaned. Of course. I am not even two months pregnant and he wants to limit how much I work already. "No. She should be fine. Once she gets closer to the due date, sometime in July, work should be decreased. She looks extremely healthy, Mr. Cullen. There is nothing to worry about right now." Edward nodded. "All right, go ahead and get dressed then go see the lab techs for a blood sample."

EPOV-At Lunch

Since I had to go back to work after I had lunch with Bella, we drove separately to Chipotle. Bella told me that she wanted to have a burrito, so I was going to give her a burrito. Lunch aside; I was ecstatic that Bella was pregnant. Though she became pregnant shortly after we started sleeping together and we haven't been together for a while, I was happy. Bella seemed happy as well, when we were talking while a lab tech drew some of her blood.

I hopped out of my car when I got to the restaurant. Bella drove up behind me. I helped her out of her rusty truck and we walked inside together. Once we got our burritos and sat down, Bella looked up at me. "So, what is our next step?" she asked me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, do we move in together? If we do, what does that mean for Alice and Jasper? When do we tell our parents?"

I laughed a little at her. "We can move in together if you are all right with that. I am sure Alice and Jasper are okay with living together as well. If all else fails, the four of us can get a place together."

Bella grinned at that. "That would make Alice happy. She could play with the baby as much as she wants."

I smiled. "I think we should tell our parents as soon as possible, though I am not liking having to tell your father I knocked you up. Do you think he would come to Portland with his firearm? If so, I might just have to make a surprise visit to my parents."

"Well, let's call your parents and my dad when we both meet at my place tonight. I can call Jasper and Alice and we can all meet for dinner and discuss what to do about living arrangements."

I nodded and bit into my burrito. I'm sure my parents would be extremely happy that Bella was pregnant. They wanted to have grandchildren. I wouldn't put it past them to move to Oregon just to be closer to the baby. Though I was sure that Bella and I would be together forever, if anything did happen, I was sure my parents would disown me and adopt Bella and the baby.

We were done eating fairly quickly and I had to head back to work. I gave Bella a lingering kiss, helped her into her car, and started driving. As soon as I pulled out of the driveway, I called my mom.

"I haven't heard from you in days, Edward," my mom stated.

"Hi, Mom. Nice to talk to you too," I joked.

Mom laughed. "How are you doing honey?"

"Really well."

"Is Bella doing all right?"

"That is why I wanted to talk to you."

"If you are going to tell me that you and Bella broke up, you better hang up right now and not call me for a couple of days. That would just piss me off," Mom stated.

"Mom! Bella and I did not break up. She's pregnant," I told her.

Mom squealed, just as I could imagine Alice would do when she found out. "Why wasn't that the first thing you told me? That is so exciting! When is she due? How is she feeling? Have you been to the doctor's? Tell me everything!"

"She is due sometime in July. We'll have a better idea at our next appointment. We just got done at the doctor's about an hour ago. She's feeling fine. The doctor says that Bella looks healthy. They took some blood to test for different STD's and make sure that she is healthy. The next appointment is next month," I explained.

"Your father and I will have to come and visit you soon. We'll both want to see Bella for ourselves. Oh I can't wait!"

"Would you mind telling Dad and having him call me? It would be nice to get some information about pregnancy from him and not from a doctor that I don't really know."

"Of course, sweetie. How about you call me later when you are with Bella so I can talk to her as well?"

"Sounds good. I'll talk to you later. Love you, Mom."

"Love you too."

I hung up right when I pulled into the staff parking lot at the police department. I couldn't wait until I was back with Bella tonight, celebrating with our friends.

BPOV-Telling Alice

Once I was in my tuck, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Alice. "Hey, I need to talk to you. Are you busy right now?"

"No, I just got done with a client. I just need to do some work at our apartment before meeting with him tomorrow. Luckily I don't have any more meetings today," Alice told me.

"Great! I'll be at the apartment in about twenty minutes or so," I said.

"See you then, honey," Alice stated.

I smiled at Alice's nickname. Most friends/room mates don't call each other honey. I couldn't imagine my life without Alice or her cute little nicknames she has given me. She will be so excited that my pregnancy as been confirmed. Alice would be the best "auntie" that any child would ever have. I could already invasion how she was going to react to the news I was about to give her.

Pulling into my parking spot, I noticed that Alice's car was already in her spot. I grabbed my purse and ran up the stairs. I'm sure Edward would have had a heart attack seeing me run of the stairs, but he wasn't here. I threw open the door of the apartment and saw Alice putting her briefcase down on the table. "Hey, Bella," Alice said.

"I'm 100% pregnant," I said.

"OH MY GOD!" she yelled, jumping up and down. Alice threw herself at me. "I can't believe it! We are going to have to redo the entire apartment. Oh no! We're going to have to get a new place. Edward needs to move in. I'm not leaving you guys though. You need to have a built in baby sitter. Jasper will have to move in as well."

Alice ran into our office to grab something and ran back out. I sat down on our couch and watched her. She started to write furiously in the notebook she brought out with her. "Baby clothes, crib, safety things, we'll all have to take parenting classes, CPR, first aid, baby food, bottles," Alice mumbled to herself.

"Alice! I'm only six weeks pregnant. We have some time to plan and get stuff."

"We need to start planning now. You leave it all up to me," Alice stated.

I laughed at her as she continued to write in her book. "Edward and I wanted to have dinner with you and Jasper and talk about moving, me being pregnant and all that sort of stuff. Can you call him and see if he can come over?"

"See if he can? SEE? He'll be over if he knows what is good for him." Alice flipped her phone open and started to talk with Jasper.

I think Alice would do everything for me, including carry the baby, if she could. It is nice to not have to worry about things getting done or not. She would have the kid dressed to the nines with designer clothes until they graduated college. Of course, Alice would have all the clothes by the time the kid was a year old. I giggled at the thought.

Dinner

The four of us agreed to rent a house together. Though Edward really wanted to buy a house for the two of us, we couldn't quite afford it at the moment, especially with the baby coming. Right after we finished dinner, Jasper and Alice started washing dishes and Edward's dad called. I heard Edward, though he walked to the office, ask all sorts of questions concerning pregnancy and what I should and shouldn't be doing. He is going to be such a worrywart. It makes me love him even more, but I know that it could be annoying after a while.

_**Let me know what you thought. Hated it? Liked it? Let me know. Also, if you have something you would like to see in later chapters, let me know. I always need ideas. Thanks!**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**The characters are not mine. I just play with them.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

EPOV-Painting

We are all moving in together. The four of us living together. It was crazy! We managed to rent a house for fairly cheap, we were all saving at least 100 dollars each on rent. It was nice to be able to save a little bit of money and have more room. It was a four-bedroom house. There would be a room for each couple, a room for the baby and a room for an office. The office would be for Alice, Bella and Jasper. Hopefully Jasper would be able to get some work done in the office. He had a couple months left before he became a licensed psychologist.

Bella was getting frustrated at me because I refused to let her carry anything. I at least let her pack things, as long as whatever she was packing wasn't too heavy. My parents were coming into town to help us move in, at least that is what they say. I think it's a bit odd for them to fly all that way to help us move. Our landlords said that they were just managing the property for a couple that lived too far away to properly manage it. I didn't care, as long as if there were any problems that they were dealt with.

Luckily for Alice, our landlords wanted to have all of the rooms painted before we moved in. She brought out her paint chips and had a meeting with them. They picked out the colors and told us that we could have the first month free of rent if we painted the house ourselves. It was nice only to have to pay the security deposit for the house, so we were saving money there as well. Bella was packing her things, as well as the kitchen things from both apartments, while Alice, Jasper and I painted. None of us let her near the house with the paint fumes.

My phone started ringing. I put my paintbrush down. "Hello?"

"We just landed. We are going to pick up our rental car then we'll be at your house before you know it," Mom stated.

"Sounds good. We are currently painting," I told her.

"Bella is painting? Why is she painting? She shouldn't be painting, Edward. You need to take care of her," she started to freak out.

"Bella is packing up her things and some kitchen things. Jasper, Alice and I are painting. None of us would let her near a paint brush," I explained.

"Good. See you soon," Mom told me and hung up.

Alice and Jasper looked over at me. "My parents should be here soon."

"Good," Jasper stated. "Maybe they'll take you somewhere with Bella and you can stop moping."

"I'm not moping."

Alice laughed. "You are totally moping because she isn't here. Even though she SHOULD'T be here, you just want to be near her. So, you're moping. It's your way of coping."

I snorted and Jasper laughed at me. "I feel so unloved." I picked up my paintbrush again and started painting again. It would be great to get this house painted so we could move in. We were just finishing up the living room. All we had left after this is the office. Tomorrow we should be able to move everything in; Alice predicts that everything will be dry by then. We might have the store the office stuff in the nursery for a day or two while the walls completely dry.

I heard a knock on the door and put my paintbrush down again. I jogged to the front door and opened it to find my parents. "Hi, son," Dad said.

"Hey Dad. Hi Mom."

"No hugs?" Mom asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Not unless you want paint on you," I responded.

"We came ready to paint. Point us in the right direction," Dad stated.

"We won't turn you away. Follow me. You guys can get started on the office," I told them. I gave them a brief tour of the house. I saved the office for last; got them the supplies and they got going. They said the sooner the house was painted, the sooner they could start spoiling Bella and the baby. I reminded them that the baby wasn't due until July. They only told me that they were grandparents, so they could be furniture, baby clothes, bottles, etc whenever they wanted to. I stopped arguing.

Jasper came and found me in the office. "The living room is done. Alice is rinsing two of the brushes. If you rinse the other brush and the pans, Alice and I will work with your parents. Also, if you could pick up all the stuff in the living room that can go, we should be done with the office by then.

"Sounds good," I replied.

It was nice to have so many bodies helping with the painting. It got it done so much faster than I thought it would be done. Now, we all had to take a shower and we would be ready to go to dinner. The six of us were going on, my parents insisted, so we could talk baby and house. I wouldn't be surprised if my parents told us that they were moving in down the street.

BPOV-Packing

All of my stuff was packed. It was so strange to see my office and my bedroom reduced to boxes. The only things I left out were the bedclothes, a pair of pajamas and a change of clothes for tomorrow. The entire kitchen here and at Edward's was in boxes as well. Alice, Edward and Jasper had already packed all their things earlier today, before they started painting. They all took the day of work. I had to edit an article today as well as put in a couple of hours at Powell's. Their stuff was already loaded into the U-Haul we rented for 24 hours. Our couch and our beds were the only pieces of furniture left.

I felt bad. I promised Edward I would call my dad today and tell him I was pregnant. That didn't really happen. I kept putting it off. No one really wants to tell their father that they are pregnant, especially being pregnant by their boyfriend of two and a half months. I didn't want Dad to drive down from Seattle and kill Edward, or maim him. I like my boyfriend in one piece. If I don't call Dad, I can just put it off for a little while longer. Maybe a month or two.

My phone rang. I looked at. Figures. "Hi, Dad," I answered.

"Bella. I haven't heard from you in a while. How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm…all right."

"Just all right? Is Edward treating you right?" Dad asked, suddenly worried.

I sighed. Of course I would worry him. I could never keep the truth from him, even over the phone. "Edward, Alice, Jasper and I are moving in together," I answered, hedging around what I really needed to tell him.

"Isn't that a bit fast? You and Alice just started dating this guys."

I sighed again. "We're ready for it. And, Edward and I need to live together."

"You need too? What does that mean, Bells?" Dad asked.

"I'm pregnant."

"WHAT?" he shouted. "That's it. I'm coming down right now. I have some leave time built up. I can help you with this…with what, I'm not sure. Tell Edward that he and I will be having a long conversation."

"Dad! Edward and I are keeping the baby. We are both really excited about it. How about you take a weekend and come down and see us? I want rather you save your leave time for when the baby is here. I want it to be able to know its grandpa," I responded, hoping that I calmed him down enough.

"I'll be there this next weekend. What's your new address?" I rolled my eyes as I gave him the address of the rental house. "All right. I'll see you soon, honey."

"See you soon, Dad." I hung up and tossed my phone into my purse. I groaned. Just want I didn't really want, my dad and Edward forced into the same room after my father finding out I was pregnant. I am sure it just would not end well for Edward.

I stood up to move my boxes closer to the door. I know that Edward, Alice and Jasper would refuse to let me take them to the U-Haul. At least I would be able to make it easier for them. The boxes were all labeled, so we would know where they went once they got unloaded. Once I got the last of the boxes piled up, Alice and the guys walked through the door. "Bella, you weren't supposed to move them!" Edward exclaimed.

"Yes, I think I put the baby into a coma by moving my five pound box of clothes," I laughed. "Don't worry so much Edward. The doctor said that I need to exercise. Walking around the apartment moving boxes can count as todays. I won't go and start lifting the couch by myself."

Edward frowned. "I just want you to be careful."

I leaned up and gave him a kiss. "You will need to be careful next weekend as well. My dad decided he needs to make a road trip and talk to us." Edward groaned.

"Come on you two," Alice stated.

"Bella, Edward's mom wants to hang out with you while the three of us and Carlisle move these boxes," Jasper told me.

"Where's Carlisle then?" I asked.

"Right here, I had to convince Esme that it was all right that she didn't haul boxes, that it was all right to spend some time with you. She's at the little coffee shop a block away."

They all shoved me out the door; Edward did it with a little kiss on my cheek. When they were done loading the boxes, they were going to come and get Esme and I so we could all go to dinner together.

Dinner

After thirty minutes, Alice and all the guys were ready to go to dinner. It didn't surprise me that they were able to clear the boxes and the couch in such little time. I made me giddy that the four of us would soon be living together. Granted, I wouldn't want to live with Alice and Jasper forever, but it is a good start for the four of us to live together as we saved money.

When I was with Esme, having a cup of tea, she explained that her and Carlisle where in Portland to help with the move. I knew that no one would really want me near the house tomorrow until it had been properly aired out. The paint fumes would still be there. Until it was aired out, I'm sure Esme would be my baby sitter and Carlisle would help unpack the U-Haul and our boxes.

We ended up at a little Italian place that Alice wanted to try. "So, Mom, Dad, why are you guys really here?"

Carlisle looked at him. "We've told you. We want to help with the move and see Bella to make sure she was doing all right?"

"You flew from half way around the country to move a couple boxes and see my girlfriend a month and a half pregnant? That doesn't seem to add up, guys," Edward told them. Alice and Jasper laughed. I silently agreed with Edward. It was a bit ridiculous. At least my dad could easily make it to Portland and back in a weekend.

Esme looked at Carlisle, "We should tell them, honey." He nodded. "We're the owners of the house you guys are renting." My mouth fell open, as did everyone else's. "We also own the house next door to it."

Edward, Alice, Jasper and I just looked at each other with open mouths. We didn't know how to react to the news that Edward's parents were our actual landlords. Esme and Carlisle just laughed at the looks we all had on our faces. "We're telling you this because if two of you want to move into the other house, we are all right with that. With the baby coming, that house you're in would be a bit small for the five of you. The rent would be lowered and would go towards owning the house out right," Carlisle stated.

"Are you serious?" Alice squealed.

"Yes, we're serious," Esme, stated.

"Jasper and I will take the other house. We can paint it tomorrow and sleep at Edward's and Bella's while the paint is drying. We can just pile everything up in the middle of the rooms," Alice ranted. "I can't believe it. We're going to live in our own house!"

"Can I take your order?" I heard our waitress ask timidly.

We quickly ordered and went back to talking about the houses. It was a crazy thought that we were going to be neighbors and own our houses. No one thought it strange that Edward and I, as well as Jasper and Alice, have only been dating for a little over two months. Oh well. We loved each other and that is the only thing that really mattered.

EPOV-The Following Weekend

I was not looking forward to seeing Bella's father. Though I liked the man and respected him, I didn't want my second meeting with him to be after he found out that I had impregnated his daughter. At least the house was looking decent. We were all moved in, as well as Alice and Jasper next door. When Charlie had called me a couple days ago, I told him about the second house and that Bella and I were in the process of owning the house. He seemed okay with it. I think.

"Cullen!" My captain barked. I groaned. I was supposed to leave in fifteen minutes to meet Bella. Charlie was due in Portland in an hour or so.

I walked into my captain's office. "Yes, sir?"

"I read the e-mail you sent me asking about family leave." I thought he would say more, but he didn't.

"Yes?"

"Why would you like to know about it?"

"Sir, my girlfriend is pregnant. I would like to take at least a month off to spend with my child and to help her out after she gives birth," I replied.

Captain nodded. "You can take up to three months off with pay, as long as you don't request any vacation time between now and then. If you want to go to appointments with her, you will have to make up the hours by staying later or coming in earlier."

"Thank you captain. Once I know when the baby is due, I'll give you a better idea of what months I want to take off," I told him.

"You may leave."

I couldn't believe it. I was able to get three months off to be with Bella and my baby. It made this dream of being a father so much better. I would be able to spend the first months of my baby's life with him…or her.

I waited at my desk as the last minutes of my day ticked by slowly. Once my clock read six, I grabbed my coat and was out the door running to my car. I couldn't wait to get him to Bella. Though, I wasn't anxious about seeing her father, I would deal with it. When I pulled into the driveway, I noticed that Charlie's car was already there. Great. He's early. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it now.

I raced into the front door. "Bella? Charlie?" I asked.

"We're right here, silly," Bella giggled. They were sitting on the couch in the living room, right next to the front door. I smiled at her, as she turned around to look at me. "Dad was able to get off of work earlier than he thought."

Charlie stood up. "It's nice to see you again, sir," I told him as I reached for his hand.

"It's good to see you too, Edward. You can call me Charlie. Bella says that you've been taking good care of her, not letting her do anything," he told me.

"I try. She's stubborn and doesn't want to listen to me," I responded, as I walked further into the living room to sit down on one of the chairs.

"Bella has always been stubborn. Since she's happy and healthy and wants to be with you, I am not going to stand between you guys. I came down not knowing how happy you guys would be with having a baby. You guys are happy. Plus, it seems like Alice is already a little carried away with the nursery," Charlie said. Bella's eyes widened, not only by what he said, but also by how much he has said.

"You should see the nursery at Alice's house," I laughed.

It was nice. The three of us sat around for a little longer talking, then Bella warmed up dinner. She has gotten into the habit of making a couple of meals on the weekend that could easily heat up throughout the week. That way neither one of us really has to worry about cooking. Bella has been working more hours at Powell's and is still writing an article every week or two. I try to get her to slow down a little, but she is insistent that she wants to save money for the baby as well as to send to my parents. She wants the house to be fully ours.

I have to admit, it is nice that my parents are letting us buy the house, for cheap from them, instead of just giving it to us. It makes us feel more like adults to have to buy it.

Once dinner and desert were done, Charlie left to go into the guest room. He said he had been putting in ten to fourteen hour shifts for the past couple of weeks and he needed to rest. I couldn't blame him. Bella said that he was truly happy with us and for the baby. At least I wouldn't have to worry about facing down a gun.

_**Please review and let me know what you think. I am aiming for at least 10 reviews!**_


	15. Chapter 15

**It's short, I know and I'm sorry. But I will attempt to update tomorrow with a longer chapter. **

**I am not SM. I just like to play with her people.**

BPOV-Work

I wanted to ask Mike if I could do more articles and get more pay so I could cut down my hours at Powell's. But at the same time, I would prefer to deal with Mike as little as possible. It was Monday and Mike hadn't gotten back to me on my latest article. It was annoying, to say the least. I finally broke down and e-mailed him again.

_Mike-_

_I haven't heard back from you about my new assignment, so I decided to see what was up. If you have my new article topic, that would be great. Also, if we could meet at the office, I have some questions for you. Let me know what times work. My schedule at Powell's is the same as last weeks._

_Bella_

With the e-mail sent, I stood up to hang our pictures up in the living room. Edward and I had unpacked for the most part, but we still needed to add the little touches that said this house was ours. All our clothes, books, computers, and things like that were unpacked. I was also running all our dishes through the dishwasher. Though I know they wouldn't have gotten too dirty from the short move, I wanted to make sure before putting them away.

I was just getting into a roll with the pictures when my cell phone rang. Mike. "Hey, Mike," I said when I flipped the phone open.

"Hi Bella. I just got your e-mail. Sorry I hadn't gotten back to you yet. For the foreseeable future, you aren't going to get any articles," Mike told me.

"WHAT? You knew I was moving, but didn't think it would be good to tell me that I was losing one of my sources of incomes." I was pissed.

"No, that's not what I am saying. We need you to cover the obituaries. The woman who normally writes them is going on an extended medical leave. We aren't sure when she will be back, or even if she'll be back."

"You want me to write about dead people?"

"Pretty much. The families or friends send things in about their dead loved one and you write it up, making it sound better than they wrote it. You will have to do your work from the office though," Mike told me.

I groaned. I hated working from the office. The office was the bane of my existence. "What hours would you need me there and how will this change my pay?"

"Hours are 7 AM to noon, Monday through Friday. We will also need you to do the write ups on Saturday and Sunday as well, though we will e-mail you the information that you need and you will just have to write it up. You will be getting 400 dollars a week."

"So, do you want me to come in tomorrow to start this?"

"That would be great."

"You are so lucky that I have afternoon and weekend shifts this week at Powell's," I told Mike.

"Of course I'm lucky. I've already known that," Mike responded. "I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early.

"See ya, Mike," I said. I hung up the phone before realizing that I hadn't talked to Mike about being pregnant and will need medical leave. If I was still writing the obituaries, I could do that at home with the baby. Oh well. I'll do that tomorrow. I called Powell's and let them know my change of schedule with the paper. They were more then willing to give me afternoon shifts.

*~*~*~*~*

"BELLA!" Alice shouted, bouncing through my front door. "Are you guys all unpacked yet? Do you need me to help you with anything?"

I laughed at her as she skidded to a halt right in front of me. I was unloading the last of the dishes from the dishwasher. "I just got done unpacking the rest of our pictures and other little stuff. All I got left are the dishes. I'm putting off washing all the big stuff."

Alice snorted at me. "You wash, I'll dry. That way we can talk before the boys come home. I took the day off to finish getting our house done as well."

We stood in the kitchen for the next thirty minutes, washing my dishes and talking about the obituaries. Alice informed that it would be freaking depressing to have to write about dead people all day. I just said that I didn't really care, cause now I wouldn't have to be haunting down random people for my articles. I also told her that it was possible that I would be able to keep this job for a while, including when the baby was born. Alice finally agreed with me that working from home with the baby would be a good thing.

When Edward and Jasper came home, I also told them about my shift of my job. Edward was happy that I would have time everyday to be off of my feet. He is such a worrywart.

The Next Day at Work

I walked into the Oregonian office at 6:55 in the morning. I made my way up to Mike's office to figure out where I would be working. "BELLA," I heard someone call from behind me.

I turned. "Morning, Mike," I said, smiling. "How are you?"

"Good. You?"

"Pretty good. I was wondering where I would be working."

"Oh, right next to me."

"Sounds good. Who do I need to send the obituaries to and by what time?"

"You will still be working with Ben, and if he could have them around ten, it gives him time to edit and you time to rewrite, if needed."

I bit my lip, not sure how to bring up my next question. "Mike. I'm pregnant. In about seven months, I'll be home with my baby. So, is there anyway I could get something that I could do at home for several months?"

"Of course. We'll talk more about that once you get closer. This is yours. Your first stack of stuff is on your desk."

I looked at my desk that I would be using for the next several months. I sat down and go to work. Before I knew it, I was almost done for the day. Writing the obituaries was a little depressing, but it wasn't too difficult. Once I finished my edits and sent my work to Mike, I closed my eyes for a moment. The one draw back of working seven to noon was that my days were long when I also worked at Powell's. I would be working sometimes ten or eleven hours a day, not counting the hour of lag time between jobs.

The Next Day

Beep. Beep. Beep. I tried to open my eyes. They wouldn't listen to me. Beep. Beep. Beep. What was that annoying sound? Beep. Beep. Beep. I can't be at home. We don't have anything that annoying at home. Beep. Beep. Beep.

**Thanks to ugabrat, I know that I have been playing around with Jasper. I wrote that he was going into history, then I've made him go into psychology. I'll attempt to find the conflicting messages and fix them.**

**Please review and let me know what you think. Once again, sorry for the shortness.**


	16. Chapter 16

**It's longer! Yeah! Remember-I do not own anything, SM does.**

EPOV-The Day Before the Beeps

Bella told me that she wouldn't be doing any of her long investigative articles for a while. It was nice to hear she would get some time off of her feet. Plus, now we can see each other in the morning as we head out to work.

I was at my desk; I had gotten back from helping track down a couple of young runaways about a half an hour ago, when my phone rang. I groaned. All I wanted was to finish my paperwork so I could move on to the next thing I had to do. I was only halfway done. Stupid paperwork. "Hello?" I asked.

"Edward Cullen?"

"Yes?"

"This is Doctor Smith at OHSU. Do you know a Miss Isabella Swan?"

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend. What happened? Is she okay?" I asked, panicking.

"I'm not sure yet. You are one of her emergency contacts, the other person isn't answering her phone," Dr Smith told me.

"What is wrong with Bella? Is she okay?" I asked again, not really wanting to play nice when Bella was, I'm guessing, at a hospital.

"She got knocked over the head while she was at work. We haven't been able to tell with what, as of right now. But, there is some paperwork that needs to be done. Is there anyway you can come in?"

"Of course. I'll be there are soon as I can," I answered.

I groaned once I hung up the phone. I really had to finish the paperwork from the runaway case before I could leave for the hospital. While I started working on my paperwork, twice as fast as I normally work, I called Alice. Her phone went straight to voicemail. I called Jasper. "Jasper! Where are you?"

"Hello to you too, Edward. It's nice to hear from you," Jasper retorted.

"I need you to find Alice and go up to OHSU. Bella is hurt. I can't leave work until I finish this damn paperwork. I am hating my job right now," I stated.

"Can do," Jasper stated and hung up on me.

Continuing with my paperwork, I dialed Charlie. "Sir. It's Edward Cullen, Bella's boyfriend. She was injured somehow at work. She's at OHSU right now." Charlie hung up on me once I finished talking. I slammed my phone down on my desk and turned my full attention to my computer screen. I know that I will have to go back over this file when I come in. In the background, a door slammed shut.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that Chief Swan's daughter was in the hospital? More importantly why aren't you at the hospital with her?" my captain yelled at me.

"Trust me, I want to be with her. I have to finish this damn paperwork first."

"Go. Finish your paperwork on your laptop and e-mail me when it's done."

I shot out of my seat, grabbed my stuff and ran out of the station. I heard my captain laughing as I was leaving. Luckily the house is on the way to the hospital. I ran in, grabbed my laptop, a change of clothes for Bella and I, and our toothbrushes before running back out to my car. I was at the hospital ten minutes later. Jasper and Alice were just showing up.

The three of us went to the front desk, Jasper and Alice standing slightly behind me. "Isabella Swan?" I asked.

"Are you family?"

"Sort of. We are her emergency contacts. I'm her boyfriend," I stated. All I wanted to do was to see my Bella.

"She's still in the emergency room. If you go in to the ER and ask for Dr. Smith, you should be able to get in to see her."

"I was also told I needed to fill out some paperwork. Would I find that paperwork here or in the emergency room?" I asked. Though I wanted to see Bella now, I knew that the paperwork would pull me away from her later as well.

"Dr. Smith will give you the paperwork," the receptionist told me.

"Thanks."

I turned around to look for Alice and Jasper. Alice was crying and leaning into Jasper, who looked like he was about to cry. "Let's go find Bella."

Alice pulled on Jasper's hand and half ran into the emergency room. I was right on her tail. Once we got into the emergency room, this hospital was confusing for me. The emergency room was almost a block away from the reception area of the main hospital. It just made it that much longer before seeing Bella.

Once we finally got into the ER, Alice found the nearest hospital employee and almost attacked. "I need Isabella Swan."

The nurse looked startled. "You can't go and see her right now. The doctor is with her and he doesn't want anyone near her while she is being examed."

"We're the closest people she has to family in Portland. We would like to see her," Jasper tried to explain.

"I'm sorry. Doctor's orders," the nurse replied.

"Can you at least tell the doctor that we're here? I'm Edward Cullen, he called me himself to tell me that Bella was in the hospital," I told her.

"I'll go and tell him. Hopefully the three of you get in to see your friend, but I can't promise you anything." We all nodded, showing that we understood.

We watched as the nurse walked through the doors towards the ER examination rooms. None of us sat down on the uncomfortable chairs. We didn't talk. We just stood there and looked at each other. It just proved that we didn't want to do anything but to get to our friend.

Five minutes of us standing and staring at each other, the nurse Alice almost accosted walked back over to us. "Dr. Smith says that the three of you can come back and see Bella. She's unconscious at the moment and doesn't look too great. Follow me."

We silently followed her through the swinging doors and to Bella's exam room. I almost started crying when I looked at Bella lying on the bed. She was so still and paler than normal. I walked right past the doctor, completely ignoring him, to sit in the chair next to Bella's bed. I placed my hand on top of hers, willing her to get better.

"Are you Dr. Smith?" I heard Jasper ask.

"Yes."

"I'm Jasper, this is Alice and that's Edward. Can you tell us what's wrong with Bella?" Jasper asked.

"She received two hard blows to her head. She isn't comatose, which is a good thing. I did a CAT scan on Bella, to see if there was any brain damage. She will have a concussion. The effects of the concussion are varied depending on person. But more than likely, she'll tire easily, be a little irritable, and have a change in eating or sleeping patterns and a loss of balance. Bella could have all of those or some combination of them," Dr. Smith told us.

"Bella is pregnant. Is the baby all right?" I asked quietly from my seat. My eyes never left Bella's face.

"We were unaware that she was pregnant. I can set up a couple things and see if I can find the baby's heart rate. How far along is she?"

"About two months."

"I don't think that anything is wrong with the baby, because we didn't see any blood in the pelvic region. But, let's make sure of that, all right?" The doctor nodded and went to work to hook up Bella's stomach to machines. It was amazing. Within moments, I was listening to my child's heart rate. The only thing that bothered me was that Bella wasn't awake to hear it. "Edward?" I looked up at the doctor. "I want you and Bella to tell her doctor about this, so she can keep an eye on the baby. We all want to make sure the baby stays healthy."

"Can do. We have another appointment in a couple of weeks. Should we reschedule it for earlier?" I asked.

"No. It should be good. If Bella experiences any vaginal blood discharge, she should see her doctor right away," Dr. Smith told me.

I nodded. "How long will she be out?" Alice asked.

"She should be out for a while, Alice. We gave her some medicine so her body can heal itself."

"Can we stay here with her?" I asked.

"One of you can stay. I can't have all three of you stay the night," Dr. Smith answered.

"Jasper and I will go home. Call us if there is any change," Alice told me. "Have you told Charlie? Cause if you have, he'll come straight here."

I groaned. I forgot about Charlie. I looked up at Dr. Smith. "Bella's father will be here in the next couple of hours. He's driving down from Seattle. If he shows up, can the two of us stay?"

Dr. Smith was contemplating my question. I could tell that he didn't really want both of us to be here. "Yes, you can both stay, but I can only allow it for one night."

"Does that mean she'll be here for more than one night?" Jasper asked.

"She should be ready to go home by tomorrow, depending on how her memory is once she wakes up," Dr. Smith answered.

For several more minutes, we talked about Bella's condition and how to help her once Bella comes home. After Dr. Smith left, after promising someone would check on her every couple of hours. Alice and Jasper stayed with me for a little while longer, before ducking out. I tried to wait up until Charlie came, but my mind was tired. I fell asleep slouched in the chair, holding onto Bella's hand.

The Next Day-Bella's Day of Beeps

I woke up to my hand being squeezed. I looked over and saw that Bella's eyes were slowly blinking. She looked really confused. "Bella? Honey? How are you feeling?"

She focused on my face. "Edward? What happened?"

"Bella? It's about time you woke up," Charlie said.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Bella asked.

"I needed to see you," he said. "Nice to see you again, Edward."

"Likewise, sir," I responded. "When did you get here last night?"

"Apparently an hour after you fell asleep," Charlie said. We laughed.

"Does anyone feel like telling me what is going on?" Bella asked.

Charlie and I turned our attention back to her. "I'll let Edward explain. I'm going to go and find your doctor."

Bella looked at me confused, "Doctor? Am I in the hospital?"

I signed. "You were hit with something on the back of your head when you were at work yesterday. The doctor says that you'll be okay, just a concussion. Also, the baby is all right. I heard its heartbeat, Bella! It was wonderful. You can too, sort of. This is the baby's beat," I told her pointing to the infant's heart monitor.

"So, I'm okay?" Bella asked.

"I think so, but that's for the doctor to truly decide," I responded.

She smiled up at me and it was a truly beautiful sight. I smiled back at her. We just stayed like that for a couple minutes, until the doctor and Charlie came back into the room. "I'm going to call Alice and Jasper and let them know that you woke up." I left the room, giving the doctor and Charlie time alone with Bella.

Two Hours Later

Bella didn't remember who hit her, which made sense since she was hit on the back of the head. But, she did remember all the important information. So, as the doctor expected, there wasn't anything wrong with Bella. She would just need some time to recuperate. I had already called the newspaper and told them that Bella would be working from home. If they had any problems with that, they could call her doctor.

I also called my captain. He was all right with me taking the day off. I felt like I needed to find some sort of work I could do from home. I loved Bella, but it seems like she would not be able to safely go from place to place. It made her herself.

Alice was with Bella, talking about fabric swatches for the baby's blanket or something like that. I am man enough to say that Alice's work scares me half to death. While they were talking, I called my parents. "Edward. It's good to hear from you."

"I just wanted to let you know that Bella is okay."

"Was there something wrong with Bella?" Dad asked.

I cringed. Crap! I forgot I didn't call them last night. "She was hit on the head, has a concussion, but is fine. So is the baby," I responded. I filled my dad in on what had happened at the hospital last night. "Can I talk to mom?"

"That's good Bella is all right. Here's your mother," Dad said.

A moment later, "Edward. Glad that Bella is going okay."

"Me too. I was wondering if you could send me Grandma Masen's ring."

"Are you asking for the reason I think you are asking?" Mom asked.

I laughed. "That wasn't subtle at all, Mom. Yes, I am going to ask Bella to marry me. I don't know when it'll happen though. Bella and I will have to talk, if she says yes, if we want to marry before or after the baby is born," I told her.

"Bella will say yes. Don't you worry. I'll send the ring out to you today. I love you."

"Love you as well, Mom."

I hung up and wanted to do a dance. But, even in a room by myself, I only did a dance in my head. Soon, I will ask Bella to be my wife. Now, I only had to find a way to escape the house to I won't have to listen to Alice and Bella discuss which fabric works best. Jasper. I can use Jasper to get out of the house. I'm sure he has something that I can do. I poked my head into the nursery. "Alice, is Jasper home?"

"Yeah. Why?" she asked.

"I just wanted to go and talk," I responded. "I'll see you two later." I leaned over to Bella and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"See you later, Edward," Bella grinned up at me.

I ran out the door as fast as I could to Alice and Jasper's house, just to get away. "Edward. What happened?" Jasper asked. He was sitting on the front porch reading the newspaper.

"Fabric samples. Lots and lots of fabric samples," I replied as he started to laugh. We just sat on the porch, reading the paper together and talking about the different news stories featured.

**Love it? Hate it? Have a suggestion? Let me know!**


	17. Chapter 17

_**I POSTED! YEAH!**_

_**There are probably a ton of errors in this chapter. My sister had a baby at 3 am. So I was up, waiting to here the news. Now I am off to clean her house for her and walk her dogs so my sister and brother in law can relax with their baby. So, sorry about errors. Hopefully I don't have any huge ones.**_

_**Not my characters. I just get a kick with playing with them.**_

APOV-Getting to the Bottom of Some Things

I don't know what is wrong with the people around me. Charlie and Edward are police officers and they didn't think about doing anything to find out whoever hit Bella. I would think that it would be one of their top priorities. I finally had to go above Edward's head, and in some ways about Charlie's head. I called Edward's captain to get a fire lit under his ass. If the man wanted Edward to actually come back to work, he would figure out who the hell hit Bella. Captain told me he was personally looking into it. I told him to look at Mike, cause that guy was an asshole and wanted to get into Bella's pants. I knew Mike would be pissed that Bella was with Edward and pregnant with his baby. Edward's captain was grateful for any sort of lead.

I had left the hospital after checking in on Bella. Edward was with her, so I didn't have to worry about her being looked after. They would need something's and I was going to get them. I took my key to Edward and Bella's house and got them some clothes, their toothbrushes, some toothpaste and general toiletries. I mean, who wouldn't want some way to wash their face when they are stuck in a hospital? I knew Edward had picked some stuff up, but he wouldn't think to grab face wipes when Bella was conked on the head. I would be surprised if he was thinking at all.

As I was running around their house and mine, I started to feel queasy. I wasn't sure if it was because I hadn't sat down since I learned that Bella was in the hospital of if I wasn't feeling well. I didn't care enough to pay attention to it right now. I had a best friend to pamper and her boyfriend to calm down.

Once I got to the hospital, Charlie and Jasper were pacing in the hallway outside of Bella's room. "Is Edward with her?" I asked softly. They nodded. "Can I go in and talk with him and see her?"

"Go ahead, Alice. Bella would want to see you," Charlie answered.

"She's awake?"

Charlie nodded. I opened up Bella's door and walked in. "Alice," Bella hoarsely whispered at me. "What are you doing here?"

I couldn't believe how awful her voice sounded. "Hey there, sunshine. What do you mean what am I doing here? You and my god baby are in the hospital. There isn't anywhere else I would rather be." Edward laughed a little at my words. "Plus, I brought you guys some more clothes, toothbrushes, face wipes and some other things."

"You are wonderful," Bella told me.

"I know I am. Now, I want you to get better," I told her. "Otherwise I might have to kick someone's ass. Maybe Edward's. Who knows?"

"I'm feeling better than I was, Alice. They should let me outta here soon," Bella told me.

"That's good. I'll be outside with Jasper and Charlie. Let me know if you need my help with anything that Edward can't do, all right?"

Edward and Bella both nodded. I was pretty sure they would not be calling me for anything. Those two were so in love I would be sickened by it if I didn't feel the exact same way with Jasper. They were lucky to have each other. I sat down on one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs. Jasper sat down next to me and hugged me towards him. It felt so good to be comforted. I don't know how much longer I can show that I am strong. Jasper didn't need to show my strong side right now.

"How are you feeling?" Jasper asked.

"A little nauseous, don't know what is up with that. Scared for Bella. Who would do something like this to someone as sweet as her?" I asked, knowing that no one had that answer right now.

"Hope you feel better soon. Bella will be okay. Can we go outside and talk, Alice?" Jasper whispered. I nodded. "Charlie, we are going for a little walk. Call us if Bella gets released." Charlie nodded. Jasper gently pulled me to my feet and led me outside to walk through the little garden the hospital had. It was nice to have a little piece of beauty outside the walls of a depressing hospital. We held hands as we strolled through the rose bushes, little maple trees and other flower bushes that I didn't quite recognize since they weren't in bloom yet.

"I've been thinking about our situation. We are living together. I love you, a lot. Though we've only been together for a couple of months, I can see myself with you forever. I can't imagine life without you, Alice," Jasper said. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was wonderful. "I think it would be a little fast to start thinking about marriage right now. But, I want to make sure you know where I stand." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. Jasper stopped walking. "This is a promise ring. I promise to always be with you. To always love you. I promise that we will get married when the time is right, when we are both ready. I know I can't live without you. Will you accept it?"

I started crying. I am such a girl and proud of it. "Of course I will accept it, Jasper. I love you with all of my heart." I felt like a three year old on Christmas day. I jumped up, so I was hugging him around the neck and my legs were around his waist. This made today so much better. It made me look to the future. I gave him a long kiss on the mouth, to show him what I was feeling. That was the last thing that I remembered.

JPOV

Alice fainted on me. Alice. She was the strongest woman that I have ever met and she fainted after I gave her a promise ring. Luckily, we were already at a hospital. I ran to the emergency room, with Alice curled up in my arms. "She fainted!" I yelled.

Several nurses who were in the lobby came over. They brought a wheelchair and started to take her to an exam room. They wanted to take her away from me. "I'm going where ever she goes," I stated. No one argued with me, so I followed along behind Alice and the nurse who was wheeling her.

Once in the room, the nurse started tossing questions at me. Any allergies? Pre-existing medical conditions? Has she been feeling well? Stress levels? I answered all the questions as best as I could. I told the nurse that Alice said she was feeling nauseous, but hadn't been feeling sick beside that in the last couple of months. That Bella was in the hospital, so Alice was feeling stressed about having her best friend knocked over the head. I told the nurse that Alice was a healthy, happy woman.

After all the questions, all I could do was sit outside the room as a doctor and the nurse ran some tests on Alice. I don't think I would be as nervous if I was able to see her, hold her hand. Alice always had a way to relax me with her mere presence, even if she was lying on a hospital bed being poked and prodded. Though, I did take this time to text Edward to tell him what was going on. The last thing either of us needed was to have both our girls in the hospital.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came out of the exam room. "Is she all right?" I asked.

"Sir, I have to run some tests on her blood. She didn't just faint, since she would have woken up by now. I think the stress of having her friend in the hospital, running her own business, must have caught up to her. Plus, she is dehydrated. So, we have her on an IV. Within an hour, she'll be just as good as new."

"When will you the know the results of the blood test?"

"Soon. I'll let you know when I get them. Now, you can go and be with her."

I needed no further prompting. I stood up and went to be with my girl. She looked so pale lying on the hospital bed, surrounded by white. I didn't want her to be here. She already had to deal with enough, with Bella in the hospital and Bella being pregnant. Alice thought she needed to take everything on. She was working too hard. I just wanted her to be okay. I didn't even know what was wrong with her. Hopefully just the stress and the dehydration.

Edward texted me, saying that Bella was being released and those they were coming down to see Alice. I wanted to see Bella up and moving, but didn't know if it was the healthiest choice for her to come down. I wasn't about to tell Bella what she could and couldn't do. She would give me the puppy face and Edward would kick my ass for telling his girl she couldn't do something. Plus, I needed to save my strength for Alice.

The doctor came in, "Mr. Whitlock?"

"Yes?" I hoped he had something good to tell me. That Alice would be all right. That there wasn't anything wrong with my angel. "Is Alice going to be okay?  
"She is going to be just fine," he responded.

"What's wrong with her? Why did she pass out?" I asked. When I was asking my questions, Alice started to move on the bed. "Alice? Honey?"

She slowly opened her eyes. "Jasper? Am I okay?"

I smiled down at her. "The doctor here just checked you out."

The doctor came over to stand next to Alice, so he could tell her, as well as me, what was going on. "Alice. I ran some tests to see how you were doing. You are going to be okay. What I want you to do is rest more than you have been and drink more water. You can also drink herbal tea if you want."  
"That's great. But what happened?" Alice asked, fully alert though she just woke up.

"You're pregnant."

_**Hope you like. Yeah, I have babies on the brain. (My other two sisters are 8 months and 5 months along.)**_

_**Please review. Liked it? Hated it? Want me to actually read it before I post it? Let me know!**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Hello Everyone! Thanks for all the reviews.**_

_**Just so you know, I am going back and editing my entire story. Nothing huge is happening with the edits, just making things clearer. So, that will be happening over the next week or two.**_

_**The characters aren't mine, I just like to play with them.**_

JPOV-Huh?

"Pregnant?" I asked stupidly. I didn't even think that was a possibility. I just thought she would have the stomach flu or something like that. I looked down at Alice with a stunned expression on my face. Her lips started twitching.

"I'M PREGANT!" Alice yelled.

Bella laughed. "You're still in the hospital silly," she reminded my wonderful, wonderful girlfriend. "This is good, now my baby will have a cousin to play with."

Alice launched herself at me. "We're going to have a baby!"

"I need you to calm down ma'am," the doctor said patiently. "You still have an IV in. I wouldn't want you to rip it out."

Alice looked at the doctor. "Well, okay. I guess. Hey! Are there any information sheets about this? Can I have some?"

The poor man looked very confused. "There is some information sheets, but I think you need to talk to a OBGYN. I can get you a list of numbers for some of the doctors here in the building. Once you get home, you can make an appointment. They will be able to give you a lot of information, as well as recommend some books for you to read."

Alice nodded. "Sounds good. Bella, do you have any books?"

"Honey, why don't you calm down a little?" I asked. I was sacred she was going to pass out again or something worse.

"How can I be calm? I am pregnant! That is so cool! I am going to have to redo one of our rooms. It'll be wonderful. I can just picture the scheme all ready," Alice started to prattle on.

"Alice, you really need to take it easy. You might hurt the baby if you don't. I'll help you decorate the room, as well as Bella's. I'm sure Edward would be all right with helping as well," I told her. Edward nodded in response. "Doctor, when can I take her home?"

"As soon as the IV is done. I suggest a couple days of bed rest before going back to work or doing any heavy decorating. I'll just go, and get those numbers for the two of you." The doctor left the room.

Edward and Bella were sitting on one of chairs. I told them that they could go ahead and leave. Alice nodded. I am sure she was about to bombard me with ideas for the nursery at our house. I am sure, some how, we are going to make it match Bella's and Edward's.

EPOV-Who Did It?

I walked Bella out of the hospital. It felt good to be able to get her home. I called the newspaper to let them know that Bella would not write for a couple days, but would be writing from home from now on due to an injury. Luckily, no one argued. I also called Powell's and told them that Bella would not be able to work for a month. In that time, I will hopefully convince Bella to only work at the paper. She can do that at home easily. Plus, I know I don't make a lot of money with the police, but I have a lot saved up because of investments and my inheritance from my grandparents. I never told Bella, but I was rich, for lack of a better word. She didn't need to work at all, but I am sure she would never go for that.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, once we were settled onto the couch, watching some CSI reruns.

"Tired. But I don't want to go to bed yet. My head hurts," Bella responded.

"That makes sense. Would you like something for it?" I asked.

"Maybe some Tylenol and a really big glass of water," she told me.

I stood up, jarring her as little as possible to get what she wanted. I quickly walked into the kitchen and got her what she needed. When I walked back to the couch, she was curled into a little ball, sleeping. I smiled down at her. I walked to our bedroom, set the Tylenol and water down on her bedside table then went back to pick her up and carry her into bed. I quickly got her out of the clothes Alice brought to the hospital and put her in one of my large t-shirts. Bella didn't move at all.

Right when I finished getting Bella ready for bed, my cell phone started ringing. I looked at it. The caller ID said it was my captain.

"Sir. Did you get the report I e-mailed you?" I asked.

"Of course I got it. I do know how to use my computer," Captain Hale told me. "I got a call from a friend of Bella's. She was quite concerned that nothing was being done about catching the person who did this to Bella. I'm surprised that you didn't want to be the head of the investigation."

"I do, sir. But, I would much rather be at home with Bella."

"You love the chase though."

"I know I do, sir. But, Bella needs me. I trust the other detectives to find out who hurt her," I responded. My answer must have been really surprising to Captain Hale cause it took him several moments to respond.

"Even a year ago, you would have been the first one to volunteer if it was your parents, your closest friend, or even your worse enemy. What is going on with you?"

I sighed. I guess I would have to start being honest. I would have rather talked to Bella about this first. "I'm considering asking for desk duty, sir. Though Bella getting hit on the head has nothing to do with my job, I need to be able to be there for her, as well as the baby once it comes. It is very hard for me to get out of an investigation once I am in it, if my family needs it. I have to put my family first."

It was now Captain Hale's turn to sigh. "I understand that. That is the reason I took my current position as captain, it gave me the option of not having to be called out in the middle of the night for investigations. I am going to give you a week off of work. I will think over what the best desk position for you. In the next day or two, I need you to type something up and e-mail it to me, so I have something in writing saying you want a desk position."

"I'll do that, sir. Is there any leads on who hit Bella?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, but Edward, you know that I can't talk about it with you," he responded.

"Sir. I need to know the possibilities so I can keep her safe. I know that it is probably someone she works with, but I can't shut every coworker out. She'll be working from home, so I am sure some of them will be coming over."

Captain Hale pondered over what I was telling him. "We are 99 percent sure that it was Michael Newton, her direct supervisor, due to the evidence and testimonies. We need to finish up a couple interviews before we can say anything official."

"I understand. Thank you sir."

BPOV-A Week Later

It was Mike who hit me over the head. I always knew he wanted to date me, but I never thought that he would get so possessive that he would whap me upside the head. It was a little strange to think about. Another coworker of mine was promoted to his position of co-producer. It was nice, because I was still working at home doing the obituaries, but now I got to do an opinion piece as well twice a week. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. I loved the writing. Plus, I got two hundred more dollars a week.

Edward and I talked about finances; it took me by surprise that he had a huge amount of money in his savings account. Enough were neither one us would need to work for several years. We also talked about how Captain Hale gave him a desk position overseeing the whole canine unit. Not that we need the extra money, but it moves him up the pay scale as well.

Alice, much to Jasper's chagrin, was working just as hard as ever. Not only was she doing her client's rooms, but the nursery in my house and at her place. Jasper was working almost three times as much just so Alice wouldn't have another passing out spell. I helped out as much as I could. I would call her over and have tea with her and go over color schemes, telling her I wouldn't talk unless she was sitting down.

My father called me and stated that he was going to come and visit me once a month, not caring if I wanted him to or not. I think I scared him a lot with my most recent hospital stay. Makes sense, since someone actually went out of their way to hurt me. But, Mike was behind bars.

APOV-Finally-Two Months Later

Bella and I are finally figuring out what the sexes of our babies are. It makes decorating the rooms so much easier. Bella told us she wasn't sure if she wanted to know or not. I glared at her and Edward sweet-talked her into it. Edward just wanted to know. I had to know. I was decorating her nursery. How was I suppose to pick out the right shade for the walls if I didn't know the gender? No matter what Bella says, there are male and female tones to all colors, including green and yellow.

Our appointments were at the same time, six at night. Bella and I are due so close to each other, we didn't want to have the same doctor. Jasper was all done with school and was attempting to build up a client base. He was renting an office. I am so happy for him. I was excited that he was coming to the appointment with me. He needs to be there in order to find out the sex of his child.

EPOV-About Time

I have officially been on desk duty for the past month. Bella was upset with me because she knows how much I loved being with the K-9 unit. I simply told her that I loved her and the baby more. Needless to say, I got very lucky that night. I was actually enjoying desk duty more than I ever thought I would. It was a lot of paperwork, which sucked major ass, but I never had to work late. I wasn't called in early. I might take some paperwork home if it really needed to be home, but for the most part, when my shift was over, it was fully over.

Today I find out if I am having a little boy or a girl. I can't wait.

_**Please review.**_


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